Rally Against Drug Abuse Slated for Southeast S.D.

Responding to the pervasive sale and use of “crack” cocaine and other illegal drugs in Southeast San Diego, community leaders on Monday announced a “Citizens Rally Against Drug Abuse” for this weekend.

“We recognize that this community is facing a crisis of major proportions in the area of drug abuse,” said Bishop George McKinney of St. Stephen’s Church of God In Christ, one of the rally’s principal organizers. “The sheer numbers of drug abusers is overwhelming. Practically every family in our congregation has been affected by it.”

The rally begins at 11 a.m. Saturday with the Southeast Community Pride Fair. The fair, to be held at the Lincoln High School stadium, will combine drug education efforts with live entertainment, amusement park rides, and a truck and car show.

Sept. 28 has been designated Drug Awareness Sunday, and will begin with drug education programs presented by off-duty San Diego police officers at more than 50 Southeast San Diego churches. The rally will conclude with a Citywide Gospel Musical at 4 p.m. in Balboa Park’s Starlight Bowl.

The purpose of the three events, said the Rev. Willie Manley, is “to bring young people together, bring about pride and dignity, and expose them to anti-drug education.” Manley added that a major goal of the program will be to stimulate employment opportunities at local businesses, giving young people an alternative to selling drugs.

Other organizers of the rally include the Palavra Tree drug rehabilitation center; CRASH (Community Resources and Self-Help), a drug prevention group; Deputy Police Chief Manny Guaderrama, and representatives of the area’s public and private schools.

Guaderrama, who oversees law enforcement in the area, said Southeast San Diego has been struck in recent months by the skyrocketing popularity of “crack,” a potent, smokable form of cocaine, and by a resurgence in the use of heroin. Disputes over drug dealing have also become a major source of gang violence in the area, he said.

“It used to be mostly turf; now most of the violence we have is with gangs involved with narcotics,” he said, adding that drug dealing has become very attractive for young people. “You can’t attract kids to work for minimum wage anymore because they can turn $200 or $300 selling crack.”

Guaderrama stressed that community involvement and support are crucial for police to fight drugs successfully.

“The problem is much bigger than law enforcement,” Guaderrama said. “We just don’t have the manpower to deal with all the hot spots.”

In a raid Saturday night, police arrested 22 people and confiscated 58 grams of “crack” in a two-block area of Southeast San Diego.