{"id":26441,"date":"2023-02-23T01:28:40","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T01:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=blog&p=26441"},"modified":"2023-10-01T09:01:52","modified_gmt":"2023-10-01T16:01:52","slug":"how-vancouver-finds-hope-love-fetanyl-crisis","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/dipsy.pbs.org\/independentlens\/blog\/how-vancouver-finds-hope-love-fetanyl-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"How Vancouver Finds Hope and Love Amid Fentanyl Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Ivonne Spinoza<\/b><\/h5>\n
\n

One of the more horrible legacies we are left with from the war on drugs is the lack of compassion toward those who struggle with addiction. Instead of treating this crisis as a health issue, society has spent all of its time (and money) making it seem like a moral failure of individuals. This has gone on for decades. Demonizing drug use has a long and racially-loaded history that has destroyed lives, incarcerated millions of people, and left us surrounded with only senseless death and stigma.<\/span><\/p>\n

Love in the Time of Fentanyl<\/i><\/b><\/a> tries to bring back the human perspective into this issue and asks us to get involved <\/span>in kindness<\/span><\/i>, if we really want to help\u2014and not judge\u2014our struggling communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I chatted with <\/span>Colin Askey<\/b>, the documentary’s director, to get a closer look at what led him to want to make this film. We get into the work Vancouver’s Overdose Prevention Society is doing to save lives and to give hope to a marginalized community, and about the real activism happening behind the scenes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

How did you first come across the Overdose Prevention Society (OPS)?<\/b><\/p>\n

Colin Askey:<\/b> I became part of this community when I began working in Vancouver\u2019s Downtown Eastside (DTES) in 2008 for a harm reduction organization that provided several housing and healthcare services for the community, including InSite, North America\u2019s first supervised injection site.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a lot of strong opinions about the neighborhood, usually based on fear and stigma, but those of us who are lucky enough to spend time [there] see that there\u2019s a lot more to it. I was often asked, because of my film experience, to make videos that raised awareness about controversial programs that were at risk of losing funding, educational videos, and sometimes to just document some of the amazing things that were happening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ronnie

Ronnie Grigg, Trey Helton and Shawn Hefele take in the mural they’ve created in the alley behind OPS in Vancouver<\/p><\/div>\n

This was a great privilege and how I got to really know many of the community members’ stories, as well as the proud history of grassroots activism that allowed for these services to exist.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe DTES is filled with incredible services that are respected globally as the gold standard in harm reduction and holistic services for marginalized communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Harm reduction ideas make us uncomfortable because they go against our understanding and beliefs, which have been deeply entrenched through years of misinformation.”<\/strong><\/pullquote><\/h6>\n

Beyond just housing, healthcare, harm reduction, and treatment services for people who used drugs, there are many unique programs and services, including a street soccer program that gave people a chance to travel to the <\/span>Homeless World Cup<\/span><\/a>, an amazing event held in a different city every year that allows for homeless folks to meet people in similar situations from around the world, and play in a soccer tournament. That\u2019s actually where I met Sarah, the co-founder and executive director of OPS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related<\/div>
Brother: A short film about addiction<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n

What personal stigmas did you overcome as you got closer and learned more about what\u2019s behind this crisis?<\/b><\/p>\n

Colin<\/b>: I think stigma stems from fear and misunderstandings of different perspectives and experiences. Once we acknowledge that, we can be more honest about where it comes from in ourselves and how it permeates all through society.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Headshot

Flmmaker Colin Askey<\/p><\/div>\n

I was confronted with this early on when I began working in harm reduction and in the DTES. I was court-ordered into a long-term, abstinence-based treatment program when I was a teenager and went on to work there for many years. When I came to harm reduction, it went against my understanding of \u2018treatment\u2019 and I had strong reactions which I really had to question.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was an important opportunity for me to be faced with real situations, hear the challenges people faced, and see firsthand how harm reduction worked. How welcoming someone inside a space where they aren\u2019t judged and are allowed to get what they need in that moment\u2014whether it\u2019s a cup of coffee, someone to talk to, or space to use drugs knowing they won\u2019t be yelled at, arrested, or die from an overdose\u2014has an indescribable impact on that person’s life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The trust built and relationships formed in these places are the beginning of so many things for that person. I got to see that firsthand and it had a profound impact on me and how I began to see this issue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Norma

Norma Vaillancourt in the alley behind the Overdose Prevention Society site in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside<\/p><\/div>\n

Why do you think there\u2019s so much resistance to harm reduction initiatives?<\/b><\/p>\n

Colin: <\/b>Harm reduction ideas make us uncomfortable because they go against our understanding and beliefs, which have been deeply entrenched through years of misinformation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it is our discomfort that allows this crisis to persist and makes evidence-based responses unavailable to the people that need them most.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to hear about your process when coming up with the title for the documentary, especially the \u201clove\u201d part. When I saw the film, it emphasized to me precisely how there’s a lack of love towards others in our society today.<\/b><\/p>\n

Colin:<\/b> Yes, those in the DTES have in many ways been failed by society. It is a community of misfits and outcasts, who despite this alienation, built a community for themselves. There is so much going on and so many efforts being made by the community to provide for each other in endless ways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"OPS

OPS staff members attend to an Overdose Prevention Society participant who has overdosed on the street, while a community member holds his hand.<\/p><\/div>\n

Little things go a long way in the DTES and I really wanted to capture those small acts of love in the film: making a big pot of chili for the staff, sweeping an alley or cleaning a booth, putting a hand on a shoulder, trying to make someone smile who just had an OD, bringing a guy his wheelchair in the hospital and offering him a milkshake, all these things make such a difference in people\u2019s lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

People in the DTES have faced unimaginable challenges as individuals and as a community, and there is an enormous amount of suffering, especially in the amount of loss we see on the street, but inside spaces like the Overdose Prevention Society, it is filled with life, laughter, and love. I think there\u2019s a lot we could learn from this community.<\/span><\/p>\n