On Thursday, June 26, community members gathered for a vigil at City Hall and the Peterborough Police station to protest a recent update to the Safer Public Spaces approach to community safety and open-air illicit drug use. The event coincided with “Support. Don’t Punish,” a global day calling for health-based drug policies.
Organizer Dylan DeMarsh believes the policy targets people who have nowhere else to go: “People are being punished for being outside.”
DeMarsh also criticized the local Consumption and Treatment Services site for excluding inhalation: “People are being told to go somewhere they’re not allowed.”
Organizers say the vigil aimed to raise awareness and encourage dialogue about local drug policy.
