Addicted
AIDS
Patient
Kicked
to
Death
by
Vigilantes
Following
Community
Anti-Drug
Meeting
10/15/99
Dublin, Ireland: A frail and seriously ill AIDS patient, who was also an IV drug user, was punched and kicked to death by a pack of vigilantes who are now standing trial for manslaughter in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The attack followed a community anti-drug meeting in the Dolphin's Barn neighborhood. A decision made at the meeting to "engage" with drug dealers in the area apparently led the group, including the meeting's chairman, to embark on an angry rampage. The victim, 41 year-old Josie Dwyer, was punched, struck with hammers and batons and kicked repeatedly. He was declared dead at the scene. The killing is reminiscent of several incidents in the United States in the past two years in which groups of young people describing themselves as "straight-edgers" have physically attacked persons for drinking, smoking cigarettes or using drugs. Diana McCague, Director of the Chai Project Community Outreach Center in New Jersey, told The Week Online that politicians and policy-makers must look inward to their own responsibility in cases such as these. "The drug war, like any war, ultimately hurts the most vulnerable and fragile people. The propaganda that is being fed by governments to people who are genuinely concerned about the problems of drugs tends to cause hysteria and frenzy, as can be seen in the Dublin case. Drug users have been demonized and stereotyped in an effort to justify policies that if inflicted upon any other class of non-violent people would never be tolerated." McCague went on the analogize the Dublin case with the situation in New Jersey where syringe exchangers have been arrested and programs put out of operation. "Here in New Jersey, the Chai Project has been forced to halt our syringe exchange program after a series of arrests and escalating charges. The decision to do this in a state with one of the highest incidences of IV-related AIDS and HIV in the nation was astounding. But people who believe that drug users are expendable --less than human -- and that their deaths are an acceptable price to pay to be able to grandstand on the issue of the drug war. It is sad." (The Chai Project is still doing community outreach, distributing AIDS, HIV and Hepatitis prevention materials and information, as well as working to bring marginalized populations into contact with appropriate health care providers. To make a donation to the Chai Project, please call them at (732) 247-7014.)
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