STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— The opioid crisis hit Staten Island as hard as anywhere in the U.S., and that was before fentanyl and “tranq” hit the streets.
Local leaders in government and law enforcement were briefed Monday by the city’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan on the latest data outlining overdoses, emerging trends, seizures and arrests pertaining to a rising number of fatalities, addiction and homelessness across New York City and the nation.
“We think post-COVID, things have gotten worse,” said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, who hosted the meeting at his offices in St. George.
“We spoke with the (SNP) earlier in the summer and it was such a powerful presentation we wanted to make sure our partners (on Staten Island) were able to hear this information as well.”
The meeting came days after officials announced a local task force to combat the issue. which will hold an inaugural meeting in the coming weeks. It was formed amid frustrations over the unveiling of an Interagency Task Force on Overdose Prevention formed by Gov. Kathy Hochul at the state level, which McMahon, Borough President Vito Fossella and other local leaders have criticized for its apparent lack of community members, elected officials and family members affected by drug abuse and overdose.
Fossella, who announced the local task force recently alongside the district attorney, said Monday that elected officials are “coming together to see what we can do to help solve this crisis.”
“I think the (data) reaffirms why we need to have our own task force,” Fossella said. “It’s not just treatment. It’s not just arresting. There’s a lot of other issues that need to be addressed … and frankly we’re all in this together.”
In a recent notice issued by the Drug Enforcement Agency, federal officials cautioned Americans to be wary of Xylazine, which is making the “deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier.”
At the federal…
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