STOP CREEP OF CRACKHOUSES

It started slowly the first time the crackhouse started operating. And
now the creep, pun intended, is returning.

A lot of people in this city have had to contend with crackhouses, and
now one that residents thought was dealt with in the 400-block of Pine
Street is returning.

The signs are all there. Lots of different vehicles coming and going;
while the girlfriend sits outside in the vehicle, the guy runs in and
is back out in under a minute -- hand firmly in pocket clasping what
he went there to buy.

They don't call them crackhouses for nothing because that's mainly
what the losers who "live" in them peddle.

I say "live" in quotes because I've talked to enough people who've had
first-hand experiences to know that crackhouse existence is not on the
living side of the life and death ledger.

It's one thing that the places are beyond filthy. For police to have
to avoid excrement and vomit along with the needles is not unusual,
but they are also dangerous. With drugs comes violence, and police
more and more have to raid such places if not with the emergency
response team then taking no risks that someone within may be armed.

The source of crackhouses is pretty obvious. Drug dealers need to set
up somewhere, and they prey upon the unsuspecting or use the
unscrupulous landlord. But there is some interesting background that
Nanaimo residents need to keep in mind.

About two years ago, just as the conference centre began to become a
reality, the drug dealing in the downtown area was reaching epidemic
proportions.

Now, I was not privy to the discussions between city council, staff
and the RCMP, but it's not hard to imagine what happened. Nearly
everyone in the city was asking what would become of this grand plan
if it was set in the midst of something resembling the Downtown
Eastside, complete with crime, homelessness and the sex trade.

Regardless of the discussions between the city and police, the results
were obvious. The heat started to come down pretty hard on anyone
dealing from the street, as it should have. One way or another the
message got to the drug dealers that street sales were not going to be
tolerated.

That's not to say they were told that dealing from houses, as I
understand became their strategy, would be tolerated either. But
that's what happened and is in part why crackhouses are
flourishing.

Given the lesser of two evils, I would rather see the crackhouse than
seeing our streets flooded by drug dealers.

If it was a strategy to end street dealing that ended with an increase
in crackhouses, I'm in support of that strategy.

Some clarity would be good here. For those who tend to misunderstand
the written word, I'm not saying I favour or like crack houses. I did
say "the lesser of two evils."

The biggest problem is not even the crackhouse so much as the creeps
above who need to establish places to sell their drugs.

I've seen these guys. They are too cowardly to sell themselves, and
find ways for others to front their slimy activities.

The guys they use are called "bottom feeders" and usually end up going
to jail -- much as the cowards who designed this system intended.

It is up to residents to put an end to crackhouses.

Report every licence plate, call the bylaws department at every turn.
Stop the creep of crackhouse -- and the creeps who profit from them.