'Miserable' Tremont residents react to visible drug use
People who live in the area showed News 12 needles, orange caps and other drug paraphernalia scattered in the park and around it.
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What looked like a normal day at Richman Park in Tremont is something very different up close, according to residents.
People who live in the area showed News 12 needles, orange caps and other drug paraphernalia scattered in the park and around it.
Jonathan Brown said he was walking his 4-year-old niece to school near Tremont and Park avenues when he saw dozens of needles on the ground. He called 311, and he said the area was cleaned up quickly.
The Department of Sanitation tells anyone who sees needles on the ground to call 311. They do needle pickup patrols daily to keep the streets clean.
But neighbors say the problem keeps coming back. Brown said he has also seen people using drugs in broad daylight, and one day recently, he had to call for help after seeing someone passed out. The fire department administered Narcan to that person.
Up the block at Richman Park, neighbors pointed News 12 to an area one woman called "Needle Row."
News 12 crews saw used syringes, evidence of people taking shelter there, dirty towels, and even someone sleeping next to a needle and a lighter. There was a syringe drop box at the top of a massive boulder.
Neighbors say parents should be extra vigilant when walking through the area with their kids because these dangerous materials are hiding in plain sight.
News 12 reached out to the Parks Department for comment, but has not yet heard back.
