Rocked By OD Death, 'Devastated' Village Plans Vigil, Narcan Help

NORTH FORK, NY — August in Greenport — once a sleepy fishing village and now a bustling destination — is a month when locals and especially those in the hospitality industry are working feverishly to keep up with a small community besieged by crowds.

But on Saturday night, staffs at restaurants, watering holes and other businesses were cloaked in the stillness of sadness as news spread that a "bad batch" of deadly cocaine laced with fentanyl led to a rash of at least eight overdoses and six deaths on the North Fork and Shelter Island over the past eight days, police said.

And in the dark aftermath, residents will come to mourn their own.

A silent candlelight vigil is planned for 7:30 p.m. at Mitchell Park Sunday; those attending are asked to bring their own candles.

Others seek to turn grief into action. A Narcan training, with Narcan kits for distribution, will take place on Wednesday, August 18, at First At South at 4 p.m. The training will be hosted by Community Action for Social Justice.

On Saturday, Narcan kits were also distributed at local businesses and bars by CASJ; they will be back again Sunday to distribute additional kits, at Feather Hill in Southold from noon to 1:30 p.m. and at Mitchell Park from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. On Monday, the Cutchogue New Suffolk Free Library will have training and Narcan kits available at 3 p.m.; registration is requested, but not required.

According to Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley, there were seven overdoses and five deaths on the North Fork and one overdose and death on Shelter Island. The majority have been attributed to cocaine laced with fentanyl, he said.

Southold Town Police, Shelter Island Police, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and Suffolk County Police Department are investigating, he said.

"We collectively urge that anyone who has purchased cocaine or other narcotics recently on the North Fork or Shelter Island, or know of family member or friend that has purchased, safely dispose of these potentially lethal products," Flatley said.

As of Saturday night Flatley said police were "working toward" the point of making an arrest.

All of those who overdosed or lost their lives were between 25 and 40 years old. And, according to local business owner Ian Wile, many worked in the Greenport hospitality industry.

Flatley said the rash of overdoses was the worst the North Fork has seen "by far. Most years we don’t have any fatal overdoses, maybe one, tops," he said.

All Southold Town Police officers are supplied with, and trained to deploy, Narcan, Flatley said. "Two of the overdoses were saved with the application of Narcan," he said.

Rocked by grief, community members turned to social media to sound the warning cry, imploring anyone who might have the lethal cocaine to throw it away or seek help.

On Saturday, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell reacted to the news: "The struggle of opioid addiction is a national crisis. It's a much bigger issue than that of any one town and certainly not unique to Southold. We offer regular Narcan training for the public but, that's not addressing the larger issue. The sad fact is that tragic deaths from opioid addiction will not stop until we are serious about focusing on the causes of addiction and putting the resources in place to treat it. Drug addiction isn't a crime, it's a disease, and we need to start treating it that way with adequately funded programs and honest public dialogue."

Russell added that in the specific case of Southold, there is a criminal investigation element to this that must to be considered.

Liana Sananda, a local resident, "in light of the devastating news," hopes not just Narcan training but for awareness to be raised about fentanyl test strips and other kits to check drugs for contamination.

What's needed is a way to spread the word about how to reduce harm, where to get Narcan, and "encouragement for drug users to check their supplies for fentanyl before consuming . . . We have a very long way to go," she said. "We must not stigmatize drug users and we must be part of reducing the potential harm of engaging with drugs. There are tried and tested strategies for doing so, and our community would benefit from utilizing these strategies and meeting the reality that there are good people who consume drugs in our communities that deserve access to good information and tools for reducing harm."

Local business owner Sharon Sailor said she'd like to see officials explore a program like one offered in Erie County, Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Initiative, or “PAARI”. Under that plan to treat opiod addiction, police would not charge any person struggling with addiction that came to police, with or without any drugs, and asked for help to seek treatment.

The Good Samaritan Law is already in place to protect people from arrest if they are overdosing, CASJ reminded.

"It is a sad day for all of us as a community and fellow neighbors. No judgments," Sailor said. "Please remember all drugs show no prejudice: They don’t see Black/white, poor/rich, educated/uneducated, young/old, male/female. If this hasn’t touched your family, thank God — and know that none of us are immune to the ill effects of this plague."

Prevention advocates also weighed in on the rash of deaths.

Jeffrey Reynolds, president and chief executive officer of the Family and Children's Association in Mineola, said fentanyl has long been a deadly threat.

"We’ve been sounding the alarm for the last two years that fentanyl is being put into virtually every street drug that exists," he said. "The headlines about 'bad' batches of cocaine leave me wondering what a 'good batch of cocaine is, when the reality is the cocaine claims lives even without fentanyl contamination."

The pandemic also left many struggling with addiction, experts said.

Reynolds added: "This latest round of fatalities underscores the need to redouble our prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts, but also the need to educate those who can’t or won’t stop using drugs about strategies for staying alive. We better ramp up those efforts now because it’s looking like 2021 may be Long Island’s deadliest year ever in terms of overdoses. The good news is we still have time to avoid that distinction and we still have time to save lives.”

Other residents and business owners in the community turned to social media to share their feelings of helplessness and despair.

"We are all devastated," one man wrote on Facebook.

"The Giving Room family mourns the loss of so many souls lost in our community. Our hearts are broken," wrote Paula DiDonato, owner of the Giving Room.

Another woman wrote on Facebook: "It's sad when people can't see past the dark and empty, forgetting stars shine brightest in that dark."

According to Wile, who first posted about the string of deaths on social media, the hospitality industry in Greenport is reeling.

"Literally the entire hospitality business, every young kid who works everywhere, nearly the largest employment base in town, is wrestling with how to go to work today, to make hospitality a priority," he said. "A pall of sadness washed over this village last night, and I fear we are not done."

Anyone who might want information about how to use fentanyl test strips or Narcan but does not feel comfortable coming forward at a public event can email info@nysocialjustice.org or call 866-599-7260.