They survived pain pills. They survived heroin. Then came fentanyl.
A Pacoima man who believes he was born hooked on opioids. A rock music fanatic who sold his late grandma’s house for a fix. A Minnesota native who became homeless at 14.
The number of people who buy and sell fentanyl around MacArthur Park has “exploded” in recent years, said LAPD Detective Ben Yi. People often make money to purchase the substance by selling shoplifted goods to some street vendors near the park, said LAPD Detective Stephen Beerer. Vendors resell these stolen items alongside legally acquired goods and homemade food to try and make a living.
Alejandro believes he was born addicted to opioids. He said his mother took pain pills while pregnant, so there’s a good chance he was. Alejandro has been living on the streets for 15 months, relying on general relief money and the shoplifted goods market to get by.Alejandro fixes a broken pipe with Kyle in an alley where fentanyl use is rampant.
After a year and a half of living around MacArthur Park, however, Alejandro is eager to find a way out. While Alejandro continues to use the drug, he’s charting an escape — motivated in no small part by witnessing the deterioration of those around him. He’s currently working with outreach worker Jennifer Haid to register for housing. She founded the nonprofit Humankind LA in 2020 to help people experiencing homelessness in MacArthur Park.
But he also needs to procure a large amount of opioids daily in order to avert withdrawals. And once he’s on them, he tends to check out for the day. “I’m a 32-year-old man; I should already have a wife and kids and go to work,” he said. “It just seems like I’m still a kid, a teenager, a boy-man.” John’s nightmare is losing his place in the shelter and winding back up on the streets, where he fears his addiction would get worse.Jessica, 34, from Saint Paul, MinnesotaJessica first experienced fentanyl withdrawals on her third day getting high. Since then, she said, much of her life has revolved around pursuing the substance.
Previously, Jessica used meth frequently, which helped curb her hunger, numb her pain, and fuel her energy while living outdoors. Fentanyl serves a similar purpose and helped break her meth addiction about three years ago.“You’re willing to kill your whole family just to get high, you’re willing to kill your best friends just to get high. I know it’s messed up; it’s not a good feeling.”Jessica said she has overdosed four times since she started using fentanyl.
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