"The area near McCarthy Square, a small patch of green space at the corner of 7th Avenue and Charles Street in the West Village, has become an epicenter of drug abuse for down-on-the-luck individuals openly injecting themselves with opioids, and local residents say few people are doing anything to stop it. McCarthy Square has seen a surge of individuals spread out on the sidewalk, some with needles jutting out of their arms."
"I have been here for 26 years, and this summer is the worst I have ever seen it, said Rick Pannell, owner of the nearby Snip N Sip barber shop. You're seeing people, sprawled out, passed out. They look like they're dead. People just walk around them. Police might come wake them up, tell them to put their pants on, then they're on their way."
McCarthy Square at 7th Avenue and Charles Street in the West Village has become a focal point for visible opioid use and homelessness, with individuals openly injecting, sprawled on sidewalks, and sheltering near buildings. Local business owners report daily sightings of needles, public defecation, fights, and a severe decline in quality of life. Police responses are described as minimal, often waking people briefly and sending them on their way. Some drug users say they are visibly suffering in plain sight. Residents and merchants express alarm as the problem has expanded from the square into the surrounding community.
Read at www.amny.com
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