In April 2003 VANDU worked with other community groups in the Downtown Eastside to establish and run a safer injection site. It took a bold effort of civil disobedience to create the unauthorized site at 327 Carral Street. Staffed by street nurses and other volunteers, the city’s mayor had no problem with the site, however the police chief was opposed and threatened to shut it down. By forcing the issue of safer injection sites, VANDU helped apply pressure on the federal government to approve the establishment of North America’s first official sanctioned safer injection site, InSite, four months later.
“Militants open safe injection site” Download Word document
Further reading about VANDU’s safe site civil disobedience, see Harm Reduction Activism Download PDF
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