STORY BEHIND CREEP OF CRACK HOUSES

A lot of people have had to contend with crack houses, and now one
that residents thought was dealt with in the 400-block of Pine Street
in Nanaimo 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 crack houses 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 have
had first-hand experiences to know that crack house 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 crack houses is pretty obvious. Drug dealers need to set
up somewhere, and they prey upon the unsuspecting or use the
unscrupulous landlord.

Following discussions between the city of Nanaimo and police, the
results were obvious. The heat started to come down hard on anyone
dealing from the street. 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 crack houses are flourishing.

Given the lesser of two evils, I would rather see the crack house than
seeing our streets flooded by drug dealers. If it was a strategy to
end street dealing that ended with an increase in crack houses, 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 crack house 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. It is up to residents to
put an end to crack houses.

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