There’s East Hastings Street in Vancouver, then Rideau and King Edward in Ottawa. And now Berger Street in Montreal? A pensioner who lives in public housing outside this city center spot, unfortunately nicknamed “Crack Alley,” invited me to spend an evening on her balcony. What I saw shocked me.
Where she lives, Josette (fictional name) is forced to witness worrying poverty.
Rue Berger is located in the Quartier des spectacles and leads north in front of the gates of the Foufounes Électriques.
The debate over supervised injection sites has recently been back in the news with the opening of the first supervised drug inhalation center in Saint-Henri, less than 100 meters from a primary school, worrying parents.
But there is already one supervised injection site in Montreal, that of Cactus, which set up shop in the city center seven years ago.
As necessary as the organization’s services may be, its environment becomes an unofficial “terrace” on which to consume your hard drugs.
To prevent defecation on public streets, a chemical toilet surrounded by bollards was built in the middle of the street.
When I arrive around 7:30 p.m., there is an ambulance outside the Cactus doors.
Crack and crystal meth smokers sit almost on the corner of Saint-Catherine.
Five or six different groups are heating their glass tubes further down the street.
“It’s day and night, seven days a week, all year round,” Josette says angrily.
You won’t see her photo: she fears reprisals.
A prostitute counts her money on the sidewalk in front of Josette’s front door. Louis Philippe Messier
Prisoner at home
As soon as the sun goes down, Josette doesn’t go out anymore. Even during the day she sometimes cannot enter her home.
Sometimes someone waits outside his door to sneak into the building, usually to go to the garage downstairs to smoke, drink or do drugs.
“This afternoon I had to wait ten minutes for the police to arrive so I could go back without being followed by a very drunk woman. »
Josette lives with 21 neighbors in a beautiful, subsidized social housing building run by the organization Un Toit en Ville, where everyone pays rent equal to a quarter of their income.
Before going to bed, you should turn off the ringtone. Thugs often ring all the bells to get someone in the building to open the door.
“Last week a neighbor was beaten in the hallway by drug addicts and ended up in the hospital. »
“Three weeks ago another neighbor asked drug addicts to get out the door to come in and an angry woman hit him in the back of the head with a metal bar. »
That’s why Josette prefers to hide at home.
From his living room we hear the sounds of Rue Berger… and they rarely stop.
“From 2 a.m. onwards, when Cactus closes, it’s worse. »
When an ambulance down the street turns on its flashing lights and lights up his living room, his brain barely registers.
The ambulance? Yelling? Dog yapping? The shouting matches? Unfortunately, things have become “normal” for Josette.
“I called the police ten times in seven years, which isn’t a lot. Yesterday a shirtless man was beaten. It was strange because he allowed it even though the other one was smaller. »
Is that why she called the police? NO…
A young man who has overdosed on the ground with his vomit remains motionless. His friend gives him naloxone. A Cactus employee came by to see if this was serious… and he’ll soon run out to get backup. Louis Philippe Messier
“I’m sorry to invite a journalist because it’s like denouncing unfortunate drug addicts, but I can no longer remain silent and continue to endure living like this,” laments Josette.
This woman with an apartment full of cat jewelry becomes the grandma who insists on making me sandwiches while I hang out on her balcony.
She worked as a nurse in the Verdun hospital for 28 years, then depression almost forced her to take to the streets. She was just shy of homelessness and spent years at the Women’s YMCA.
She is happy to now have this affordable roof over her head.
“But that means I’m stuck here… in front of Rue Berger. I can’t afford to go anywhere else. And that’s what I would like to be able to go out on my quiet balcony, invite my mother to dinner or go buy a glass of milk in the evening. »
What measures does she demand?
“More light!” Rue Berger must be just as lit at night as during the day. I want to be able to travel safely. So we need guards to prevent crowds from blocking the entrances to buildings. And Cactus also needs to be able to move or operate 24 hours a day, not just 12.”
I was at Josette’s on a particularly quiet evening when social assistance was paid out. The streets then tend to empty out as many rent small hotel rooms.
“Rest” is a big word, you might say. At one point, a young man explodes in vomit before collapsing in his chaos. Distraught at not being able to revive him, his friend screams, “Gaby! Gaby! » Then start looking for the Cactus speakers. The team soon sets out to rescue the teenager. Regular users, frustrated at having to wait a few minutes during the procedure, are asking when the center will reopen its doors.
“You are pitiful, but I have no more pity, I am exhausted and fed up with being trapped in my house,” comments Josette.
For me it was a heartbreaking few hours, but for her, who has been witnessing this “toxic” drama every day for seven years, it was… something like Episode #2555…
Cactus employees are working to revive a man who has overdosed. Louis Philippe Messier
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