Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Timothy Majoor, CEO of St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction, on Intro 868
1:51:59
ยท
3 min
Timothy Majoor, CEO of St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction, strongly opposes Intro 868, which would prohibit syringe services within 450 feet of schools and playgrounds. He argues that the bill would negatively impact the ability of harm reduction agencies to deliver life-saving services and ultimately contribute to health challenges in the city.
- Majoor emphasizes that prohibiting syringe services would make it harder for people to access not only clean syringes but also other crucial health services provided by outreach units.
- He points out that relocating services to areas compliant with the proposed bill would push them into communities that don't need these services as much as areas like the South Bronx.
- Majoor suggests alternative approaches, such as collaborations between syringe providers and city departments, expanded funding for cleanup efforts, and addressing root causes of why people use drugs in public spaces.
Timothy Majoor
1:51:59
Hello.
1:52:00
Can you hear me?
1:52:01
Dear esteemed members of the committee, my name is Timothy Carlos Mayor.
1:52:05
I'm a professional in public health, the CEO of St.
1:52:08
Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction, thank you for your kind words, a South Bronx institution for over thirty five years and also a proud New Yorker.
1:52:17
I'm speaking today to express my strong opposition to Intro eight sixty eight, the bill prohibiting syringe services within 400 feet of a school or playground.
1:52:25
If enacted intro eight sixty eight would negatively impact my agency and similar agencies abilities to deliver services like this and other life saving interventions to folks in need, especially at a time when our city's rates of disease and overdose are on the rise.
1:52:38
I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are all in favor of safer communities, especially safer schools, but by prohibiting syringe services you'll be contributing to the problem.
1:52:47
Simply put, by making our services harder to reach and access you'll only serve to hurt our neighbors and further, the city's health challenges.
1:52:55
My agency along with many others that spoke today provides syringe cleanup up to seven days a week with hotlines report syringe litter amongst many other services we provide.
1:53:04
Our mobile outreach units deliver holistic treatments and services in collaboration with our harm reduction work.
1:53:10
By preventing our mobile syringe exchange, you're preventing our participants from accessing the plethora of other services we have available, thus denying someone an opportunity of doing more for their health.
1:53:20
Should the bill pass, where will our outreach units go?
1:53:23
In The Bronx, for example, where we work, the majority of locations that are not within 450 feet, let alone a thousand feet as one of the members mentioned, are mostly in the highest earning zip codes, their districts.
1:53:34
If we are forced to move our operations to locations that meet the requirements of this bill, we'll be forcing our services into communities that are not in need of our services compared to areas like the South Bronx.
1:53:45
By pushing us into the corners of our boroughs, the problem won't disappear.
1:53:49
The communities that are currently handling these challenges will not see any relief because the people who require these services have nowhere to reach us.
1:53:56
I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt and say that this piece of legislation comes from a good place, the desire for safer boroughs.
1:54:02
That is the purpose of my nonprofit.
1:54:04
With this in mind, I propose we broaden our view of this current challenge and lean on our strengths.
1:54:09
Let's set up collaborations between local syringe providers and city departments to establish training protocols, listening sessions, equitable schedules to address every part of the city's syringe litter challenges, combat stigma amongst our institutions, and of course create a safer city for all of us.
1:54:24
We're actively communicating with schools to provide trainings and meetings to help parents, teachers, students, and others understand the current challenge and how we all can do more.
1:54:34
Let the SSPs do the work they're good at.
1:54:36
Expand our funding so we could expand our syringe clean efforts across the board, for example.
1:54:41
When we ask why our people are in parks and playgrounds, we should be asking why are they seeking these spaces?
1:54:47
Why are shelters not safe for those in need?
1:54:49
We could be doing more for our people by establishing more safe spaces like drop ins, community centers for our people, rather than destroying what they have left and forcing them into the shadows.
1:54:59
I am proof that harm reduction strategies work.
1:55:01
I was raised in the loving arms of this community.
1:55:03
These are real people, real neighbors, real voters that we are talking about.
1:55:08
Therefore, strategy should be equitable and support everyone, not exile a population of our people to a corner of this borough to be forgotten about.
1:55:16
For these reasons, I urge you to oppose intro eight six eight.
1:55:19
I appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony and I hope you will consider the harmful implications of this bill.
1:55:24
Thank you.