Melbourne's Richmond injecting room: Single photo of addict clutching a ... trends now
A disturbing picture shows a drug addict sprawled in a gutter holding a syringe in his hand not far from a medically supervised injection centre in Melbourne, as a local campaigner claims nearby streets have turned into a 'ghetto'.
The Richmond community, in Melbourne's CBD, has long protested the location of medically supervised injection room (MSIR) next to Richmond West Primary School, which is being trialled for five years.
However, tensions with the Victorian Government have come to a head with a proposal to turn the centre into a permanent facility set to be debated in parliament on Thursday.
Residents claim drug-users are attracted to the area and - while the centre argues many find it helpful - others loiter near the facility due to a legal loophole that prevents drug-related arrests within 300m of the room.
The picture of the man in the gutter emerged on Thursday - as further images shared by local residents showed addicts huddled in parks, syringes left discarded in the middle of footpaths and children as young as six walking past addicts.
Outraged locals from Richmond, Melbourne, are protesting against a trialled supervised injection room becoming a permanent facility (pictured, a man holding syringes found on the street outside the injection room on Tuesday)
The medically supervised injection room is located next to Richmond West Primary School (pictured, a primary school student and passed out user)
The injection room, which opened in 2018, is designed to help prevent overdosing deaths by letting users inject drugs in a safe place where they can seek immediate medical help.
Local of 23 years, Sharon Neven, 58, told Daily Mail Australia the room has devastated the local community - and argues that the centre should be set up in a more urban area, as a similar facility is in Sydney's Kings Cross, rather than close to residents.
'There are people who are publicly injecting in our kids' parks. There are people injecting in front of our faces,' she said.
'Kids still have to walk to and from school so they have to walk past this behaviour - people naked, people running around with their tops off.
'We have our cars broken into, our homes broken into. The police do nothing. The drug dealers are winning.
'The fact (the room) is outside our maternal health clinic, our health clinic and next to a primary school, I have issues with that.'
Ms Neven told ABC 7.30's Elias Clure the area - which has long been known as a haven for drug users, even before the centre was set up - has been transformed.
'This was a really popular street for people all over Melbourne to come and eat Vietnamese food but now it has just turned into a slum,' she said.
'We had a lovely wine bar there and it's just turned into a ghetto.'
Locals claim the room has drawn in users who have no intention of using the facility due to a legal loophole that prevents drug-related arrests within 300m of the site (pictured, a photo taken near the injection room last month)
Mr Clure questioned: 'You don't think it's a bit strong, that language?'
Ms Neven shot back: 'No, I don't because you have got drug dealers sitting right outside Aldi all day, every day.'
In an open letter to Victorian
