Opioid addiction has exploded in the South Bronx: sidewalks are littered with needles, addicts shoot heroin in daylight in front of schools, dozens line the streets openly buying and selling heroin. According to The New York Times, “Of the five neighborhoods with the highest opioid-related overdose rates in 2015 and 2016, four were in the Bronx — Hunts Point-Mott Haven, Crotona-Tremont, Highbridge-Morrisania and Fordham-Bronx Park.” In New York City, fentanyl, a synthetic opioid to increase heroin’s effectiveness, was involved in 44% of overdose deaths during 2016. In the Mott Haven-Melrose area there are 3,130 drug-related hospitalizations per 100,000 adults. Finding a single cause for the strong revival of the opioid crisis is hard to say. Everyone has a different cause for entering this cycle. This project sheds light to this pressing issue within the Mott Haven-Melrose neighborhood and show what life is like for community members.
"The Hole" a known drug hotspot located in the Mott Haven area.
Marty Rodgers standing by a pile of needles on 150th St across the street from Immaculate Conception Church.
Louis, a local drug user, poses for a portrait.
Needles on a tree plot on 150th St.
Marty Rogers holding his jar of needles. With less than a mile the jar was already filled.
A local Take Back the Hub protest on 3rd Ave.
Albert Aponte, a recovery coach worker for Samaritan Daytop Village, poses for a portrait.
Every Thursday mornings several recovery organizations give out Narcan overdose prevention rescue kits and teach others how to administer the drug.
Marty Rogers poses for a portrait in front of The Hole.