“Modesto Mono Park 2” Syringe Exchange Defendants Prepare for Battle in Modesto Ca,

When defendants return on November 9th, 2009, attorneys will try once more to reach an acceptable plea bargain agreement – or – they will set a date for trial.

Tribuzio and Robinson were arrested on April 11, 2009, for conducting needle exchange in Mono Park, also called “Needle Park” by local residents because of the needles scattered there, including stuck into trees. Despite being a publicly-advertised syringe exchange operation, the Sheriff’s Department set up an elaborate sting operation to arrest and charge defendants with one misdemeanor count each, for violation of Health & Safety Code 11364.7(a), a paraphernalia possession charge.

As supporters pointed out in letters to the court, Tribuzio and Robinson were following the 2008 Stanislaus County Grand Jury report, “Containing the Emerging Threat of Hepatitis through a Syringe Exchange Program,” and its recommendation that the Board of Supervisors 1) authorize syringe exchange in Stanislaus County and 2) implement a syringe exchange directly or through a community based contractor.

Despite support from the Public Health Department, the Advisory Board for Substance Abuse Programs, the Local (AIDS Advisory) Implementation Group, the Hepatitis C Task Force and others, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously against syringe exchange last September. The Board concluded that the recommendations “required further analysis” – yet the only action taken by the county since then has been the arrest of Robinson and Tribuzio.

In addition to reducing the human toll of these and other ills suffered by injection drug users, the cost-effectiveness of syringe exchange programs is indisputable. Syringe exchange program budgets average $80,000 per year in California, while the lifetime cost of a single person with HIV or HCV ranges from about $100,000 to $600,000, depending on the patient.

If the case against the Mono Park 2 is settled on November 9th, volunteer-based public health services and advocacy for syringe exchange authorization will continue, without the hindrance of a pending criminal case. If the District Attorney’s Office decides to proceed to trial, it will likely arouse the “sleeping giant” – though this time it will not be the “sleeping giant” of Hepatitis C, but the determination of concerned residents of California’s Central Valley.

The local Off the Streets Project, founded by Robinson and Tribuzio, continues to conduct community health outreach to injection drug users and is planning neighborhood needle clean-ups; the Mono Park 2 Defense Committee is growing by the day; and the local coalition for harm reduction and needle exchange is on track to become stronger than ever.

For more information, contact offthestreetsproject [at] yahoo.com

Article courtesy of Rachel J. former HRC

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