CORPORATION DEFENDS EVICTING DRUG DEALERS

The eviction of drug-pushing tenants from Dublin Corporation accommodation
was defended by its assistant city manager, Mr Philip Maguire. The
corporation was determined to stand by those communities who wanted to
resist people who were engaged in crime, violence and vandalism to the
detriment of the community, he said.

"They recruit members of their family and neighbours' kids as look-outs and
runners. They want a no-go area so that they can run the estate. Our
maintenance people are often intimidated out of the estate. There is often
heavy-duty intimidation of our staff," he said.

Mr Maguire was responding to a submission from members of the Franciscan
Social Justice Initiative's Merchant Quay Project.

Father Gerry Raftery OFM, of the Franciscan Justice office, said that in
the past few months they had come across an increasing number of young
people, mainly drug-users, who had become homeless.

"What appears to be happening is that families under threat of eviction and
unable to get help or treatment for a drug-using member are forced to ask
that member of the family to leave home," he said.

Homeless drug users were likely to use more drugs and less likely to be
able to access health care or social welfare. This made them more likely to
engage in criminal behaviour, he said.

"If large numbers of people are going to be thrown out of local authority
housing estates as a result of recent legislation, there is going to be a
net increase in levels of homelessness and crime. Before implementing this
type of legislation Government should have foreseen and made provision for
the knock-on effect."

Mr Maguire said that often those evicted owned houses elsewhere. Even if
other family members were not directly involved in drug-dealing, they
benefitted from the proceeds.

The corporation had a problem in that the activities of the family often
only came to light after it moved into the accommodation.

"We don't normally evict quiet drug users. We evict chaotic, violent people
who have a vested interest in wrecking the estate."

They had not, he said, evicted a huge number. "But we have evicted people
and we will continue to evict people."

Often the person who eventually moved into the flat did not appear on the
housing application at all. "There would be this shadowy character who is
in the background. He's never on the application form for the house."

Mr Maguire said the attitude of the corporation had been that drugs were a
matter for the health boards and the gardai - but communities had asked for
its help. In some cases pushers had become managers of an estate, rather
than the corporation or the gardai, he added.

Mr Dermot Kavanagh, who accompanied Father Raftery, said they had no
sympathy for those who owned other homes.

They were concerned with young drug users evicted from their homes so that
their families could avoid the threat of eviction.

Mr Kavanagh said it was understandable that communities did not want
chaotic drug users, perhaps prone to violence, living in their areas.

Father Raftery said: "These people aren't going to jail. Is there any
consideration of where they are going? They are going to the hostels for
the homeless and to centres like ours.

"Is there any consideration of the knock-on effects of their exclusion?"