Hardly a day goes by that we don't hear some amazing drug-related story from the district. The phenomenon has almost increased to the level experienced in the 90s, when Nyócker was still Józsefváros. And what does Piko's city management do in the meantime? Some of his steps suggest that the problem is imported directly here, reports hirnyolc.hu.
We hear from more and more places that drug addicts inject themselves with the intoxicating substance by hiding in stairwells, doorways, mobile toilets installed by Pikó, or even in the "built" restrooms.
Nowadays, in Stáhly Street, they regularly break down the doors of houses, take drugs in the stairwells, and do their work leaving behind drug waste, urine and feces.
- the newspaper learned from a resident there. According to Zoltán, the district has returned to the 90s, when apartment buildings installed locks on the entrances one after the other.
Back to Nyócker
This was also confirmed by Frici, who lives in Illés utca, who called the situation tragic. As he says, it costs HUF 40,000 per month to repair the gate, because drug users keep coming in there.
They take the letters out of the mailbox and wrap the drug in them. In the morning, the aluminum foil, the lighter, and other items were there. The residents - especially the elderly - are already afraid to go out into the street, especially around the tobacco shop, where suspicious figures lurk, says Frigyes.
Everything takes place in front of the playground
Another resident - requesting anonymity - sent a letter to the newspaper, indicating that the Losonczi tér public toilet is now used almost exclusively by prostitutes and drug addicts. According to him, couples regularly enter - even same-sex couples - and leave after 10-15 minutes, while others leave the scene in a dazed state.
Losonczi square toilet: "It is used almost only by women of lust and drug addicts." Photo: Ákos Ványi / Hírnolc
The problem is also serious because there is a playground right next to the public toilet, and the children are exposed to this sight. The resident knows that drug waste has been found in the bathroom on several occasions - syringes, pouches, films.
Real help instead of needles
The problem has taken a steep decline in recent years. Orsolya Ferencz, who before 2019 led the district's Drug Coordination Forum (JKEF), shed light on the possible reasons.
As he says: JKEF was put on a completely new foundation at that time. The foundation that distributed the needles in an uncontrolled manner was kicked out of Józsefváros, and actors were brought in who were working on a real solution to the problem. One of the latter was the Emberbarát Alápítvány, with whose help addicts were referred to inpatient care.
Have the Pikos given up on solving the problem?
According to Sándorné Bereczki, one of the leaders of the Human-Friendly Foundation, every patient in the eighth district who applied to them was treated for free, either in outpatient or inpatient care, because the local government at the time assumed the contribution costs. Their cooperation was not extended under the leadership of András Pikó, who did not even disclose the reason for this decision.
In a few years, the district slipped back a decade
The work of the Drug Conciliation Forum was multi-layered: they held accreditation training and also operated a street search service. Orsolya Ferencz resigned from the post of JKEF president after 2019 after seeing that it was impossible to do meaningful work in this environment. I didn't want to share the responsibility - explained Orsolya Ferencz about the reason for the resignation.
The member of parliament believes that his immediate successor has not been able to see too many activities in recent years. "They don't work here either, they just don't do anything. However, we see the sad consequence of this; In just a few years, Józsefváros has slipped back a decade in this area as well," says Orsolya Ferencz harshly.
In doorways, stairwells, public spaces, public toilets... The photo is an illustration. Photo: Ákos Ványi / Hírnolc
The needle distribution organization was smuggled back
The former president of JKEF is wrong about one thing: the Pikos did something in this area, but there was not much thanks for it.
One of the first measures of the left-wing city administration was to abolish the previous regulation, which prohibited living in stairwells, so that many people could turn around in the stairwell without being kicked out. In addition, the Civil Guard was abolished and it seems that the support of the police is no longer as important to the Pikos as it was to their predecessors.
Furthermore, Kék Pont, which used to distribute needles, was also smuggled back by the Pikos. But the most daring move of the left-wing city administration was when they wanted to install a drug ambulance on Teleki tér, which the residents managed to prevent.
The left is silent
hirnyolc.hu wanted to know what JKEF is currently dealing with, since drugs are causing an increasing problem in the district, but the organization's new leader, the current Dávid Könczöl, did not answer their questions.
Source: hirnyolc.hu
Cover image: Pixabay
