Community Meeting Addresses Twin Ports Drug Problem

Community members look to fight drug problem together and work united.

Community members in Superior are taking a step forward to address the drug problem in the Twin Ports.

They say they’re uniting to fight for change and bring more resources to the area to fight the issue.

Several members of the community admit that there will always be drugs around, but they are looking to limit the effects of addiction on the community. They want to bring in more resources for drug treatment.

Shelley Faul helped organize the community drug meeting. She’s one mom with a very important message.

“I am hoping that by myself speaking out that others will not be afraid to speak out,” said Faul.

Shelley’s son became addicted to drugs and that lifestyle led to crimes and time behind bars.

“We can’t arrest ourselves out of this problem. We in law enforcement are doing everything we can to arrest, pull the drugs off the street but we need the whole community to be involved,” said Community Policing Officer Bonnie Beste.

Faul and other organizations including the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department, Superior Police Department, and Senator Janet Bewley helped organize the meeting to fight back against the drug problem in their community.

“This addiction problem is a community problem,” said Faul.

In Douglas County alone over the last two years, investigators pulled nearly $1 million worth of drugs off the streets, but they say there’s a whole lot more out there.

“It means progression that we’re seeing everybody pulling together, people coming out that maybe feel embarrassed what’s gone  on in their families and they’re standing up to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s family,” said Beste.

Faul might say she’s just a mom, but she’s one who is watching out for everyone’s family as if it were her own.

“Drug addiction is a disease and we need to start treating it as one,” said Faul.

Organizers are gathering signatures for a petition that will be given to Wisconsin lawmakers. They are hoping the petition will help kickstart the process to bringing more funding to the area for drug treatment.