MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Drug use continues to be a problem in Memphis and some Memphians feels powerless as it tears down their community.
In many Memphis neighborhoods and apartment complexes, drugs are present and easily accessible. It’s a frustrating issue for those on the inside.
“For the neighborhood, I want them to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and try to do a better job, because it’s not where you live it’s how you live,” apartment complex owner Glenda Clinsey said.
“The Memphis Area Prevention Coalition just finished a needs assessment, and what we found was that all across the board Memphis has a higher use rate for youth than across the state of Tennessee or nationally,” Jack Wyatt, with the Memphis Area Prevention Coalition, said.
It’s an issue that local law enforcement is aware of.
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office actually has a drug dealer eviction program specifically designed to keep residential areas clean.
“The bottom line is that nobody wants to live next door to a drug dealer. And so this office is going to do everything that we can under the law to get drug dealers out of the neighborhood,” D. A. Amy Weirich said.
There’s also a 24 hour organized crime hotline that Memphians can call to report crime or suspicious activity at (901)-528-2338.
Despite the overwhelming amount of drug use and availability in the area, officials keep working to come up with new ways to combat the problem.
“We come at the problem from many different angles, but we also have to expand the way we do it as challenges and the drug use world changes,” Weirich said.
At the end of the day, Memphians just want justice and a safe, happy place to call home.
Reporter: Peter Fleischer
