O’Devaney Gardens: ‘Trying to find ways to help my community in crisis’

It’s Tuesday night at five minutes to 12 and I’m trying to find ways to help my community in crisis. I’m sitting here in my home just next to O’Devaney Gardens, where I’m from.

My neighbours and I are terrified to speak out about the true nature and source of all the killings in Dublin at present.

I work with families with addiction and my own family has also had addiction issues. This leaves me with a front -line look at the problem.

I’d like to tell you about needs, opportunity and hope.

When small-time community drug-dealers show off their fast cars, their three-month holiday photos on Facebook and their fancy clothing, it creates admiration among youths; they aspire to be like the drug dealer, to get to the top and to be the new kingpin.

Just two weeks ago we had good weather and four young men in a jeep with a trailer carrying jet skis on it passed by me and others outside a pub. They waved at the local lads, none of whom have a job. These are the kind of guys our young people are looking up to get their needs met.

Use the system

There are some who use the system for their own benefit. One man I was working with on the drugs project ticked all the boxes on a rehab programme. He got five years for possessing €500,000 worth of cocaine. After 12 months he was in an open prison. This guy was on a programme because he said he had a drug problem; but he never had one, the man jogs, works out in a gym and is a teetotaller. It sounds like a good opportunity to any young person struggling in life.

I work with a teenager who is living in his attic in fear of getting hurt because of a €200 weed bill owed to a local dealer. This drug dealer sends his mother, who is in her 60s, to get the money off local parents and the motto is “pay or be hurt”.

I’ll end with a cry for hope.

Small community drug-dealers supply the drug lords with their cash and power.

They need to be stopped at grassroots by targeting the local drug dealers and their money and fancy lifestyles.

If this government creates a “minicab”, a criminal assets bureau directed at small-time drug dealers, it would go a long way to helping to stop the fear and intimidation, and encourage young kids to say in school and work towards a better future.