CRIME, DRUG ABUSE LINKED

Crack cocaine addiction is out of control in Windsor and the city
doesn't have the facilities to handle it, said downtown demonstrators
on Friday.

Just after 6 p.m. in Fred Thomas Park, about 40 people raised
placards to demand construction of a medical treatment centre for
those with drug problems.

Rally organizer Sophia Martin, 43, said the "detox" centre currently
located in the west end wasn't built for treatment, making it little
more than a "flophouse."

"There's no detox going on there," Martin said. "It's a shelter for
the homeless, that's all.... Nobody is being detoxified. It's just a
rest stop."

James Davis, pastor at Cutting Edge International Church, said he
believes there are "hundreds and hundreds" of crack addicts in
Windsor, and their numbers are growing.

"It is a major problem. Month by month, it's accelerating," said
Davis, 42. "It's in our high schools."

Martin said she's tried crack cocaine in the past, and her siblings
have become addicts.

According to Martin, city problems such as crime and street
prostitution are on the rise, and crack cocaine is to blame. "It goes
hand in hand," she said.

Along with members of the community, the small rally was attended by
a handful of candidates in the Nov. 13 municipal elections.

Mayoral candidate Mohamed Chams, 36, criticized incumbents for
ignoring the event. "In all honesty, shame on our current mayor and
council for not attending tonight," he said.

Mohamed Ali Beydoun, also a mayoral candidate, guaranteed that he
would build a new treatment centre if elected. "That's my promise."

Ward 2 councillor candidate Chris Schnurr, 33, said he supports a new
centre because he's seen the effects of addiction on a personal level.

Schnurr said one of his friends fell into prostitution as a result of
alcoholism and drug abuse. Schnurr said a new treatment centre with
"real detox" would be "an important first step" in ensuring similar
stories don't become common.