SOUTH STREET RESIDENTS SAY 'NO' TO DRUGS

Sitting in his office at the Frederick Rescue Mission on South
Street, executive director Arnold Farlow frequently sees drug deals
from his window. Drug activity in the neighborhood has increased in
the past seven or eight months, he said.

Men live at the mission because drugs have shattered their lives,
Farlow said. It's frustrating that they could walk across the street
and easily buy more.

The Christian-based rescue mission runs the Beacon House, a
three-phase, faith-based drug and alcohol recovery program for men.
It also operates a soup kitchen, food pantry and a clothing and
furniture recycling service.

Mission staff members and Beacon House residents joined other local
agencies Saturday to send a message to the dealers -- they won't
tolerate drugs.

"The drug dealers should feel more uncomfortable than the residents,"
Farlow said.

The mission's block party-like rally gave neighbors a chance to show
their commitment to ending drug activity. Representatives of the
Frederick Police Department, Frederick County State's Attorney office
and the Frederick office of the Maryland Division of Parole and
Probation attended to show their support.

The police department has really stepped up its presence and
enforcement against drug crimes in the area, Farlow said.

Police Chief Kim Dine said the agency is happy to partner with the
mission and the community. Arrests alone won't solve a community's
drug problems; education and treatment are critical.

When neighbors report drug activity and people are able to get help
with their addictions, police have more success curbing drug crimes, he said.

The mission is doing what it can to get people treatment. More than
30 men live at Beacon House while they participate in its yearlong
recovery program. Nine graduated the program Friday and some will
live in a nearby house as they transition to a sober life on their own.

Jim Horton is among the graduates. He chose to enter the program in July 2006.

"I had lost my house, my job and I didn't have much hope left," he said.

He remembered the mission and stopped by several times to get
something to eat. Men already enrolled in the program served the food
and encouraged him to enter.

"After about two months being homeless in Frederick, I decided to
walk in the door," he said.

Louis Rich is relieved to be at the mission as well. He arrived three
weeks ago after being ordered by a judge to enroll or be sent back to
jail for 15 years.

"It has been wonderful," he said. "We go to church every day, we work
every day. We have prayer meetings ... and the food is great."

The rally was already making a difference, he said as he pointed to
several men clustered on porch steps farther down the street.

The men were dealers and typically would have been selling directly
across the street, he said. Yet, with so many police officers and
community members gathered outside the mission, they weren't doing business.

The rally served another purpose as well, said Kenneth Johnson,
director of the mission's recovery program.

Many participants lived in the neighborhood before enrolling and
Johnson hopes the example set by Horton, Rich and others will inspire
addicts to seek help.

"The (rally) gives others a chance to see the changes they've made in
their lives," Johnson said. "It also lets the men see how far they've come."