KEEPING THE DOOR OPEN IN VICTORIA

Rev. Al Tysick needs our help as well as that of the police to deal with
city's social problems

Where would we be without Rev. Al Tysick? He's been Victoria's social
shock-absorber, his Open Door ministry on Pandora taking in the street
people, rubbies and druggies whom nobody wants.

But as sometimes happens with shock-absorbers, the load became too heavy for
Tysick last week and he called in the cops. The druggies and dealers were
taking his place over -- exchanging drugs and money in plain view of
passersby and shooting up in the neck on the steps and boulevard.

Tysick's never called in the police before. Doing so last week must have
hurt, because those he was ratting on are "family." Like a distraught
parent, he warned them several times that he'd call the police if they
didn't behave. It seems they didn't believe him.

Those eight men and one woman arrested Wednesday after a one-week undercover
operation by police are still family -- when they come back, as they're sure
to, Tysick will take them in and try, again, to persuade them not to abuse
themselves or his ministry.

Police discovered during the undercover operation that the 900 block on
Pandora has become a preferred place to buy crystal meth and cocaine. Tysick
says users from Saanich and Oak Bay were showing up -- evidence that this
isn't just a Victoria problem.

He and police believe crystal meth use is causing increased violence around
the Open Door. Fights and stabbings have occurred.

So now that the police have been brought in, what will change? There may be
more street-lighting; alcoves and streets may be blocked off. But all this
may only make it easier to see the users shooting up.

Tysick says he'll hire someone to provide security at night, and two more
people during the day who'll work outside to keep an eye on activity around
the building. And then what -- call in the police again?

How can someone like Tysick hope to save the souls of addicts when his Open
Door is seen by users in and around Victoria as the place to buy drugs? How
can addicts, many of whom are mentally ill, be persuaded to give it up at a
shelter where people are openly shooting up around them?

The expanded $10-million centre, to be built with the help of federal and
provincial taxpayers' funds, will have an interior courtyard and come right
out to the sidewalk. This, Victoria Police Chief Paul Battershill said in
April, will prevent people "spilling out" and giving "an appearance of
disorder."

But laws like the Safe Streets Act that treat addicts, like other homeless
people, as nuisances aren't going solve what other countries consider a
health problem. Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe is impressed with the supervised
injection sites he saw in Europe last month, providing not only "safe"
injections, but needle-exchanges, medical treatment, low-cost meals, laundry
facilities, used clothing and footwear.

But here in Victoria the neighbourhoods get up in arms if city hall even
schedules a drug-information session there. We still have a long way to go
in getting federal funding and approval for a supervised injection site, and
longer to go to find a place to put it.

Until we do, we'll have to rely on Tysick, others like him and, sadly,
sometimes the police, to do what the rest of us aren't prepared to do.