New York’s top federal prosecutor vows to shut down two ‘illegal’ drug use sites in Manhattan – despite workers reversing 1,000 overdoses since opening in 2021

New York’s top federal prosecutor has vowed to shut down two “illegal” drug consumption sites in Manhattan — despite the centers having reversed 1,000 overdoses since opening in 2021.

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the locations – located in Harlem and Washington Heights – “currently violate federal, state and local laws.”

“The opioid epidemic is a law enforcement crisis and a public health crisis,” Williams said The New York Times in a statement on Monday. “But I’m an enforcer, not a policy maker.”

He pointed out that these centers allow people with substance abuse to use illegal drugs, and that it is illegal, calling it “unacceptable.”

Many activists are protesting the draconian action as America continues to battle a growing opioid crisis.

But Williams warned: “My office is ready to exercise all options – including enforcement – if this situation does not change in the short term.”

Activist Alexis Pleus, founder of Truth Pharm, pictured at a 2021 demonstration in White Plains, joined by advocacy groups and survivors working in response to the overdose crisis

Many supporters of these sites were baffled, including photographer and activist Nan Goldin (pictured) who called the move “crazy” and said “we know what works and we can’t do it”

Not-for-profit group OnPoint NYC launched the two Overdose Prevention Centers, also known as Supervised Consumption Centers, “as a way to help improve the health and safety of marginalized people who use drugs or engage in sex work,” according to its website.

The centers are considered illegal because the fentanyl, crack and other drugs used there are controlled substances under a federal law known as the “crack house statute.” This prohibits individuals from maintaining properties where controlled substances are consumed, the Times reported.

But many supporters of these sites are baffled by the pressure to shut them down, including photographer and activist Nan Goldin, who called it “crazy.”

Goldin, has been instrumental in holding opioid companies responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. She said in part, “we know what works and we can’t.”

She told the Guardian“I don’t understand why America doesn’t want to keep its people alive when it’s clear that this is what works.”

At a protest in lower Manhattan, Goldin stood next to mothers who lost children to opioid overdoses.

Their goal, she said in part, is to destigmatize addictive drug use, including controlled consumption sites, so people in need can get the help they need.

“The basic problem is stigma, and yet authorities are still talking about how to handle the opioid crisis, by sealing off safe injection sites and strengthening the police.”

Activist Alexis Pleus started the Binghamton-based nonprofit TruthPharm to raise awareness and advocate for policy change to reduce the harm caused by substance use after her 28-year-old son died of a heroin overdose in 2014.

Pleus told the Guardian that Williams’ comments “reflected the stigma surrounding drug use and the fact that our country has chosen to criminalize addiction.”

“This is an extension of our government’s ongoing support for the drug war. But the fact is that the government is failing to keep our children alive,” Pleus added.

“Overdose fatalities just keep rising,” and consumption sites “are a means to keep them alive and they deny it. The government falls short in its responsibilities.’

Williams’ warning follows drug policies enacted under the Trump administration. In 2019, Trump’s Justice Department took legal action against the opening of a similar site in Philadelphia.

The opponents of overdose treatment centers claim that they increase the number of ‘spots’, drug use and crime in those areas.

Pictured: OnPoint NYC Washington Heights location operating since 2021

Pictured: OnPoint NYC, East Harlem location, supervised drug abuse site, has reversed 1,000 overdoses since the organization opened its doors two years ago

A man holds a zip-lock bag filled with needles, gauze and other paraphernalia

An interior photo of one of the OnPointNYC locations in Upper Manhattan

Sam Rivera, the director of OnPoint NYC, told the news outlet that the Biden administration is funding an investigation into the center’s two operations as a potential tool to help combat the overdose crisis.

He added that OnPoint NYC is “proud” to partner with city, state and national officials to save lives.

“Our successful partnership with the New York Police Department highlights the effectiveness of responding to this crisis with love and care, rather than enforcement,” he said.