Dozens gathered at Arsenal Park in Lawrenceville on Friday night to remember and help those who struggle with heroin addiction.
Jessica Kinter talked about her 10-year struggle. She now 4 months in recovery.
"We do things against our own ill,” she said. “It's kinda like having an invisible gun held to your head. You feel like you need that to live life.”
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Mayor Bill Peduto says the city is making an effort to try and help those in dealing with the problem.
“The city has hired a person in our own office to be able to coordinate all the different services that are out there to be able to get people who go into recover the services they need,” he said.
He knows the epidemic isn’t going away. Channel 11 saw some of the problems in the city first hand today, hours before this vigil.
Frank Fontann manages an apartment building in South Side. Neighbors called saying there was a problem.
“There was a dead cat, there's needles, stamp bags,” he said. “It's disgusting.”
Fontann says police came and safely disposed of the needles, but he’s never seen something this bad.
Kinter says sometimes addicts just don’t realize what’s going on around them.
That’s why she wants people to remember this:
“Don't give up on anybody.”
Cox Media Group