Needle
Exchange
Program
Rebuilding
from
Arson
Attack,
No
Suspects
Yet,
Help
Needed
1/12/01
A New Year's Eve arson attack heavily damaged the building that houses Casa Segura (Safe House), a multi-service harm reduction program based in Oakland's Fruitvale District. At last report, no arrests had been made and police had no suspects in the blaze. The center employs 13 people and exchanges 17,000 needles per week. It also offers HIV and Hepatitis C counseling, treats abscesses and other minor injuries, and provides a daily meal for its clients. Oakland fire department officials put the damage at $250,000, according to a report in the Alameda Times-Star. The night of the fire, Casa Segura executive director Chris Catchpool told the paper he was "just devastated. This has been a labor of love for us to make this a reality. We've worked very hard for this and to see it go literally up in smoke is devastating." The program has faced opposition from citizen groups and some local politicians and has been prosecuted three times on drug paraphernalia charges by Oakland authorities, but for Catchpool, the attack came out of the blue. "For an action of this magnitude to take place is shocking. We did not expect this. It feels like what has happened to abortion clinics -- fire bombing to shut them down. If it is arson, then this is an act of political terrorism, I feel," he told the Oakland Tribune after investigators had determined that it was. Harm reduction advocates shared Catchpool's concerns, but were loathe to speculate on the identity of the arsonist. "I've never heard of anything like this," the Harm Reduction Coalition's Donald Grove told DRCNet. "I did a survey of needle exchange programs in 1998, and there were incidents where the cops came along and shut things down, there were incidents of community hostility, but no one ever tried to torch a place." Still, Grove added, "This is the kind of violent hostility that drug users themselves face all the time. This wasn't just an attack on the program, it was an attack on the program's users." "I don't know who did it," Grove said, "that's up to the police, and I won't speculate, but I will say that community hostility has never taken this shape." Hostility to Casa Segura is not new, and even the arson attack has not stopped opponents from continuing their fight to run it out of town. At a January 9th press conference, Casa Segura board members were waylaid by angry parents organized by Oakland City Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente, an intractable foe of the program. De La Fuente told the Times-Star the program should move. "It is not an appropriate place for this facility, but this [issue] is not new," said De La Fuente. "Their clients [consist of] a small number of people from my district and I cannot let them impact the people who live in the district." De La Fuente and the parents used the press conference to complain that children on their way to school had encountered discarded syringes and had witnessed people engaging in drug use and sexual activity. "It was a deliberate attempt to sabotage our press conference," Gerald Lenoir, Casa Segura's board secretary told the Times-Star. "He's trying to run us out of the community." "We've been to the City Council numerous times over eight years," Lenoir said. "We've never gotten $1 from the city for this [HIV] epidemic, yet we've had harassment from Ignacio De La Fuente and from the police. Luckily, we have the support of the county and the Board of Supervisors." It was Alameda County Public Health Director Arnold Perkins who called the contested press conference. Perkins and county health officials did so to emphasize the essential services provided by Casa Segura in spreading HIV and other diseases, they said. Meanwhile, Casa Segura's work continues. Under the light of a rented electric generator in the parking lot in front of the burned-out shell of their building, staff members continue to run needle exchange and HIV and Hepatitis C testing programs. They continue to treat wounds and care for abscesses. They continue to counsel clients. They serve raw fruits, vegetables, and bread, however, instead of the daily meal they usually serve their needle exchange clients. And there was no warm shelter, no acupuncture detox, no herbal medications and vitamins, none of the other services that made Casa Segura a nationally recognized model. Those await resupplying, rebuilding, or relocating. Which will happen, Casa Segura personnel vow. "We've operated on the streets before and will continue to do so if necessary. These are vital HIV prevention services and need to be in this community," Catchpool told the Bay Area Reporter. They will need some help. According to Casa Segura's Lenoir, "We are insured, but the settlement will take a long time. Insurance investigators are coming tomorrow to view the arson site. We are in need of money to pay for the electric generator and we need office equipment, computers, supplies, furniture, and kitchen equipment. Ironically our syringes were under lock and key at another location at Tuesday's exchange." There are ways to help. The Harm Reduction Coalition and the North American Syringe Exchange Network (NASEN) have taken the lead in organizing solidarity. Please visit http://harmreduction.org/issues/hrnews/hrcalerts.html for information on how to help get Casa Segura back on its feet.
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