Nearly a hundred residents who gathered in Cambridge for an anti-consumption treatment services (CTS) sites rally Saturday morning were met by those in support of the sites.
The rally took place at Oxford Street, with protestors hoping council will hear their concerns and reconsider potential construction of a CTS site.
“Today I am clean, I am clean through rehab and rehab support services,” said protestor Clifford Van Clief. “You need to make people feel like people again, and a CTS doesn’t do that, it keeps them intoxicated.”
Other protestors say they don’t want any site at all in the city and believe the service brings unwanted activity.
“It just gets worse with more people struggling with drugs, more homeless, less housing, and the crime is crazy through the neighbourhood,” said Rick Heidenreich.
While those against the CTS site point to a need for rehabilitation services, CTS advocates say rehab is only part of the solution.
“How are you going to rehabilitate dead people?” said Heidi Morrison. “It’s that blunt, it’s that simple.
“You always hear about someone who fell through the cracks, well we’re here to help them pull through, not step on them when they’re down.”
Both Heidi and Simone Morrison were a part of the small group of CTS supports who showed up Saturday at the rally to counter peacefully.
They say they’ve watched loved ones use the services before and see how it makes a difference.
“In our family, we’ve had people reach out to these supports and it saved their life, and they matter to us,” said Simone.
Cambridge councilor Donna Reid agrees that a CTS site is desperately needed.
“Getting to these vulnerable people in a way that they can accept and that they’re not judged,” she said.
Residents can share their thoughts on the proposed locations through an online survey on Engage Cambridge by July 30.
Council is expected to make a decision this fall.
