Councilmember David Oh introduced bill #200189 (Full Text Here) in City Council that would:

• Declare Supervised Injection Sites a "Nuisance Health Establishment"
• Requires approval of 90% of the residents, businesses, and institutions within the one mile radius of the facility
• Would require City Council approval for each proposed site.

This bill essentially bans all Supervised Injection Sites city-wide.

City Council is holding a Public Hearing on this bill in the Committee on Public Health and Human Services.

Monday, March 9th, 2020 at 9:30 AM

City Hall, Room 400

We are urging you to attend this meeting and provide testimony on the benefits of Supervised Injection Sites. We need to show City Council that there are folks in this city with the compassion and desire to handle this out-of-control opiate crisis.

Here are the instructions on how to offer public comment at City Council, be mindful that speakers are limited to 3 minutes, so any points must be succinct.

If you are unable to attend in person, please contact your members of this Council Committee by phone or email to urge them to Vote 'NO' on Bill #200189.

At-Large:

Kendra Brooks: [email protected], (215) 686-3438, (215) 686-3439

Derek Green: [email protected], (215) 686-3450, (215) 686-3451

Helen Gym: [email protected], (215) 686-3420, (215) 686-3421

David Oh: [email protected], (215) 686-3452, (215) 686-3453

Isaiah Thomas: [email protected], (215) 686-3446, (215) 686-3447

District:

District 6: Bobby Henon: [email protected], (215) 686-3444, (215) 686-3445

District 8: Cindy Bass: [email protected], (215) 686-3424, (215) 686-3425

Some Talking Points:

• With more than 3,000 people dead from overdoses in Philadelphia in the past three years and an estimated tens of thousands addicted to opioids here, the city has become the deadliest in the nation in the current opioid crisis.
• The opioid epidemic in this city far outpaces deaths from gun violence, including people of color. 
• This Bill would essentially ban any chance of a Supervised Injection Site here in Philadelphia.
• Near neighbor approval thresholds are always inappropriate, undemocratic and empowers privilege.
• The Mayor should make the call on this. As a highly sensitive topic where every single neighborhood would choose to veto it if given the opportunity, the neighborhoods should have input but not veto power.
• We know that when the District Council/RCO approval process is used, we always get less of the thing in question. Whether it’s street safety improvements, housing, or sites such as these.
• We do want near-neighbors to be informed, but these engagement sessions should be only for educational purposes.
• This is an emergency. We have citizens of this city dying on a daily basis from their unaided addiction. If your house were on fire, we don't ask community and city council approval to put the fire out.

Further Reading: