GCA methadone clinic protest postponed & rescheduled

110 E. 79th Street

Got this e-mail from the Greater Chatham Alliance. There was supposed to be a protest on Saturday morning (November 1st) of a methadone clinic @ 110 E. 79th Street but it had been cancelled due to the weather. Here's more information:

• Due to the inclement weather affecting the Chatham and Park Manor community, the GCA Methadone Clinic Protest for Saturday November 1st has been pushed back a week to Saturday, November 8th.
  
  Cee Powell, the GCA protest march chairperson, has asked that you note this rescheduling announcement for your media calendar.
  
  Again, the protest has been moved to next Saturday starting at 10:00 am at the same location:
  
  
  • Chatham Avalon Medical Center
    110 E. 79th street
    10:00 am
  
  Your coverage support is much needed to make the difference between how our community lives and how others make you live. Thank you.

JP posted a reminder of this protest on Friday, but I will repost the e-mail message that he shared on this blog here. The reasons for this protest:

CHICAGO--Members of the Greater Chatham Alliance Community Organization (GCA), area residents, local educators, parents and business owners will hold a march and rally to demand that owners of the Nuway Community Services Methadone Clinic, (79th and Michigan), finally resolve the ever-growing, public nuisance, disturbance and loitering complaints created by their patients receiving treatment.

The demonstration will take place on Saturday, November 1st starting at 10:30 am in front of the Chatham Avalon Medical Center, located at 110 E. 79th street.  Area residents from both Chatham and Park Manor, local school educators and parents, and 79th street business owners will discuss how the loitering and disturbance situation has created conflict on the 79th street corridor all the way to 76th street from Michigan Avenue to King Drive).

Residents will discuss examples of morning incidents where methadone patients hide in their backyards or side entrances, or stand in front of their garages and alleys to avoid police detection as early as 5:00 am--one hour before the clinic opens.

Ruggles elementary school parents and teachers will cite occasions like naked man found sleeping in the nearby school park or patients lingering all day on and near school grounds after receiving treatment.

Area business owners will be asked to discuss examples of how ill-tempered patients loiter in their stores, which often lead to confrontations with their staff and customers.

GCA has repeatedly asked to meet with Olajide Solola, President of the Nuway Community

Services Methadone Clinic, to ask him to provide a patrolling security service that would marshal non-resident methadone patients to leave the area after receiving their treatments.The organization feels that this would not only be a reasonable and fair negotiated step to avoid patient and resident / business confrontations, but also stem sales by some patients to other methadone clients in order to buy heroin from local drug dealers who canvass the area. 

GCA, as a spokesman for the community, will seek other options to help press for the relocation of the clinic if the clinic owners do not provide a comprehensive security patrol.

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 BTW, expect a reminder closer to the day of this protest!