INJECTION SITE NOT ILLEGAL

To the editor:

It is interesting that in both the headline and in the body of the
story ("Police deny harassment at illegal injection site," July 23) it
suggests the safe injection site run by DTES activists at 327 Carrall
is illegal.

The federal government has acknowledged that their assertion of
illegality without an Exemption 56 is only a legal opinion that has no
bearing unless a court case is tried.

So what is really illegal? Might the VPD charge us with "saving
lives." Also, the denial of harassment does not stand up to scrutiny.
The same systemic harassment that was levied against VANDU's needle
exchange table is being replicated at the site at 327 Carrall-police
cars sitting out front with their lights flashing or "jacking" up
anyone within 10 feet of the entrance is similar to the tactics that
the needle table experienced.

Luckily, the VPD has not lied about us selling drugs as they did
against the table (later negated by Deputy Chief Greer). Maybe in the
future, David Carrigg and the Courier could get back to investigative
journalism as opposed to parroting the VPD stance on these issues.

Dean Wilson,

Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU)