Silke Jasso
Vancouver Police Department Superintendent Michelle Davey is in the midst of an opioid crisis in her city, and on Wednesday, she uploaded a truly heartbreaking image that spoke a thousand words about the epidemic. Police are hoping that the image, which was taken in the downtown of Vancouver, will draw attention to the crisis. At the end of March there were already 100 opioid overdose deaths in the city — on pace to double the 215 deaths in 2016.
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Pigeons spotted making a nest out of #needles in a #DTES SRO room. Sad reality of the #opioidcrisis #fentanyl #frontline #notstaged pic.twitter.com/M0DDVLkL28
— Deputy Chief Michelle Davey (she/her) 🏳️🌈 (@DCCDavey) May 3, 2017
The image shows a pigeon’s nest constructed from used needles and features the caption #NotStaged.
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Vice reported that in the province of British Colombia, there were “nearly 1,000 opioid-related overdose deaths” in 2016. The website managed to catch up with the Vancouver police, and spokesperson Randy Fincham told the outlet that the “photo was taken on Tuesday by the force’s homeless outreach coordinator” while inspecting a vacant building. He also said that it’s common in that section of the city — which is ravaged by poverty — to find nests built from needles. Fincham said that he hoped the photo might “provide insight into a world that very few people need to see, and it’s a sad reflection of what’s happening in the community down there.”
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