WELCOME BACK, THE OPIOID 3
CRISIS HITS JUST ABOUT EVERY 3
ECONOMIC LEVEL OF SOCIETY. 3
RARELY WILL YOU SEE IT AS RAW 3
AND OPEN AS YOU DO ON THE 3
STREETS AND ONE S. FLORIDA 3
NEIGHBORHOOD. 3
CHILDREN ARE FORCED TO WALK 3
AROUND NEEDLES ON THEIR WAY TO 3
SCHOOL. 3
IT IS A HEALTH CRISIS OF 3
GROWING PROPORTIONS. 3
IF WE LET THEM CONTINUE, 3
THEY WILL GET DIRTY NEEDLES, 3
CATCH DISEASES AND DIED. 3
-- DIE. 3
OFFICIALS ARE CALLING IT AN 3
OPEN OPIOID DEN AND THE STREETS 3
AROUND IT ARE BARRICADED. 3
THE AREA IS TROUBLED BY 3
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EVERY DAY, 3
BUT IT IS HAPPENING WHERE YOU 3
CAN'T SEE IT, UNDERNEATH THE 3
836 DOLPHIN EXPRESSWAY. 3
THE FLOOR -- FOUR BLOCK AREA 3
IS BETWEEN 12 AND 14 STREETS. 3
I WENT THERE LAST WEEKEND AND 3
WAS STUNNED. 3
MY COLLEAGUE JOHN RAY SPENT 3
DAYS TRACKING DOWN ANSWERS. 3
REPORTER: WHEN THE SUN GOES 3
DOWN IN MIAMI, MORE THAN A FEW 3
ARE LIGHTING UP AND ISSUING -- 3
SHOOTING UP UNDERNEATH THE 3
DOLPHIN A 36 EXPRESSWAY. 3
EACH ONE LOOKING FOR THE 3
RELEASE, IF ONLY IN THEIR MINDS.3
I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS IN MY 3
LIFE. 3
REPORTER: FOR STREETS BETWEEN 3
NORTHWEST SECOND AVENUE AND 3
NORTHWEST FIRST AVENUE HAVE 3
BECOME HOME TO DRUG USERS, 3
TRANSIENTS AND THE MENTALLY ILL.3
AT TIMES YOU FEEL UNSAFE, 3
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL 3
HAPPEN. 3
REPORTER: IN RECENT MONTHS, 3
THESE BLOCKS EMERGED AS AN 3
OPIOID DEN, WHERE USERS ARE 3
OPENLY INJECTING AND SEAMLESSLY 3
HAVING SEX IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. 3
REPORTER: IT HAS BECOME 3
PRIORITY NUMBER ONE FOR THE 3
HEALTH DEPARTMENT, CITY, COUNTY 3
AND JUDGES. 3
THESE TWO TEENAGERS BEST 3
FRIENDS DESCRIBE WHAT IT'S LIKE 3
WALKING THROUGH HERE TO AND 3
FROM SCHOOL. 3
I SAW THIS MAN AND LADY, SHE 3
WAS ON HER KNEES AND HE WAS 3
JUST STANDING THERE. 3
THEY SAW ME AND CONTINUED. 3
THE STREETS ARE NOT THE 3
CENTER OF A PUBLIC HEALTH 3
INVESTIGATION. 3
IT IS TRANSMITTING A -- 3
HEPATITIS C AND HIV. 3
THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH3
SENT THIS LETTER TO THE MIAMI 3
POLICE DEPARTMENT, WARNING 3
DISPERSEMENT OR RELOCATION OF 3
THE POPULATION WILL 3
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT OUR 3
ABILITY TO FIND THOSE 3
INDIVIDUALS AND COMPLETE OUR 3
INVESTIGATION. 3
I AM IN A POSITION WHERE I 3
CAN STOP PEOPLE FROM DYING AND 3
THAT MATTERS. 3
REPORTER: JOHN SCHMIDT WAS 3
ONCE A HEROIN ADDICT AND WALKS 3
THE STREETS GETTING USERS INTO 3
TREATMENT. 3
PUTTING THE BRAKES ON IT IS 3
THE FIRST THING THEY HAVE TO 3
DO. 3
REPORTER: THE CITY BLOCKED 3
OFF MANY STREETS AROUND HERE TO 3
PREVENT CARS FROM DRIVING 3
THROUGH. 3
THAT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF 3
THE STRATEGY TO DO SOMETHING 3
ABOUT THIS OPIOID CRISIS. 3
MIAMI'S HOMELESS-SO THEY 3
STARTED FOCUSING ON SOLUTIONS 3
IN JUNE. 3
WE HAVE TO HELP THE PROBLEM. 3
I BELIEVE WE HAVE FINALLY 3
PULLED TOGETHER THE RESOURCES 3
IN THE LAST WEEK TO BEGIN TO 3
MOVE FOLKS INTO TREATMENT. 3
REPORTER: REALISTICALLY, MANY 3
WHO GO INTO TREATMENT WILL 3
RELAPSE. 3
BUT JOHN SCHMIDT SAYS EVERYONE 3
HAS A SHOT AT REDEMPTION. 3
NINE TIMES OUT OF 10, AND -- 3
THEY KNOW THEY ARE PHYSICALLY 3
AND MENTALLY ILL. 3
IF WE LET THEM CONTINUE, THEY 3
WILL GET DIRTY NEEDLES, CATCH 3
DISEASES AND THEY ARE GOING TO 3
DIE. 3
THEY ARE GOING TO DIE MISERABLY.3
REPORTER: IN MY CONVERSATIONS 3
WITH THE CITY, I AM TOLD WE 3
SHOULD SEE SOME ACTION. SOME OF 3
THESE PEOPLE WILL START TO BE 3