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Golden Task Force Holds Info Meeting August 22:Pfilif*? S a i; f'V%u00bb/%u00bbLr Fpf%u00bbnnm v Ic H n f A nrl T o m n h n G TM W l l V V w > %u00bb %u201c * %u00bb * * %u201c - ' ' %u201c * r * %u2014 ONarcotics division Lt. Joe Lisi (above, left) of the New York City Police Departm ent explains how crack is m anufactured at a workshop hosted by Borough President HowardGolden on drug abuse. (Phoenix/Taylor Photo)BY ROB TAYLORTo boost his newly created Brooklyn Task Force Against Crack, Borough President Howard Golden held an informational workshop Aug. 22 on drug abuse assembling three of the more knowledgeable police officers in the city to educate community managers and his staff liaisons.A Crack workshop may not sound like the most unique idea these days as local neighborhood organizations and elected officials all across the city have already held similar conferences, but Golden is trying to begin a borough-wide movement against the drug and this move to educate the leaders was an important first step.%u201cYou all represent the community and while a lot of independent groups have already marched and talked against Crack, they%u2019re still fragmented,%u201d said Golden, who spoke briefly during the workshop. %u201cWe want all the communities to join with us and march against Crack.%u201d Golden, his staff and the task force are planning a borough march and rally to help dramatize the problem and mobilize community forces against Crack for Sept. 14 in front of the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza.%u201cThis is a long term fight and everyone has to get involved,%u201d he said. %u201cIt is not going to go away just because we have a few marches.%u201dGail Hammerman, the Borough president%u2019s liaison on the task force, said they had asked the %u201cbest and the finest%u201d from the city%u2019s police department to speak at the workshop. This included Deputy Chief Frances Hall, commander of the Narcotics Division, and two of his colleagues, Lt. Joe Lisi and Det. George Kosnik.Community Board managers were given a great deal of information to digest during the proceedings. Bob Acito, manager of South Brooklyn/Park Slope Community Board Six, confirmed that while he personally already knew some of the information presented about the effects of drug abuse, the knowledge of the police officers was %u201cenlightening.%u201dHall was definitely impressive. %u201cThere is so much conflicting information, so many people with their own programs and solutions to the problem,%u201d he said, %u201cI read so many interview with world renowned people talking about crack that when you read them you become confused.%u201dHall says four variables allow Crack to besold openly in New York: supply, demand, profit and risk.%u201cEfforts to stop cocaine from coming into this country have failed,%u201d he said. %u201cThere is so much cocaine out there that even I can%u2019t believe it.%u201d Hall says that the supply of cocaine in New York City is %u201chigher than ever before in our history.%u201d With the average street price decreasing from $45,000 per kilo in 1985 to $32,000 in 1986, Hall says that supply is larger so the price is getting lower.Profit from the sale of Crack is another motive for its increased sale. %u201cAt $1200 for an ounce of cocaine,%u201d explained Hall, %u201cyou can make 476 viles of Crack that sell from between $10 and $20 a vile. There are people out there earning between $300 and $1000 per day.%u201dHall asserts that there is no incentive to get a C ack dealer off the street when they are earning this amount of money. Priscilla Ct mo, the manager of Boro Park%u2019s Board 12, added that with Federal government summer youth employment programs that pay $3.25 per hour, young people, at times, would rather sell Crack for an income.On the demand side, Hall says that people of all income levels were buying Crack. %u201cGo to Wall St. on payday, people in three-piece suits are out buying their supply,%u201d he said.%u201cIt%u2019s beyond belief.%u201dThe risk of selling Crack appeared to be what most interested people. With 35,000 jail spaces in the State of New York, there were 6,000 drug-related arrests in Brooklyn alone in 1985, according to Hall. %u201cMany people arrested are only punished with a night in a cell,%u201d he said. %u201cLaw enforcement alone is not the answer unless there is meaningful punishment for people earning between $300 and $1,000 each day.%u201dHall advocates similar proposals to Mayor Koch%u2019s recent prescription, which says that Crack dealers should be locked in minimum security spaces for longer periods of time than they are currently being jailed for. %u201cWe have to create a state of mind where the individual says, %u2018is it worth it?%u2019 %u201d said Hall. %u201cSend them to a camp in Buffalo for 30 days in the winter.%u201dAfter Hall%u2019s tough comments about law enforcement, the 30 people attending the workshop watched a videotape production on drug abuse. Their knowledge of drug usage was substantial. During the film, which was produced in 1980 the commentator said that cocaine was not an addictive drug, a common perception at that time. The audience was aware that the perception had changed.Much of the meeting, however, didBorough President Howard Golden introduces the crack experts. (Phoenix/TaylorPhoto)straighten out some misinformation about the drug. The narcotics officers said that young children are increasing their use of Crack. Seventy-five percent of school drug arrests last year were for Crack, according to Kosnik.%u201cOnce you are addicted, the craving for the drug is so intense that nothing else m atters,%u201d he said about children who steal from their parents in order to buy the drug. %u201cThe high from cocaine lasts 20 to 30 minutes; Crack high is only about five minutes. The most common method of using Crack is through a pipe,%u201d he said.Lisi added later that what is becoming even more dangerous is the combination of drugs. %u201cPeople are now combining Crack with angel dust,%u201d he said, %u201cthey are calling it space-based.%u201d The only arrest for the combination has been in Brooklyn.With this information, community board district managers are expected to encourage local groups to participate in the boroughwide task force and begin to help create a network of information, counseling, and law enforcement programs to combat Brooklyn%u2019s growing problem.%u201cIt%u2019s only the beginning, but with everyone involved we%u2019ll be able to go a long way,%u201d said Golden.Our Lady Of Sorrow Makes Carroll Gardens A Joyful Place To Celebrate(Phoenix/ Koslosky Photos)The annual Festival of Our Ladyof Sorrow turned Carroll Gardensinto a pretty happy place last weekend as kids of all ages came out totest their hand at games of skill orto munch on Italian delicacies. Hundreds of people flocked to CourtStreet below Carroll Street for thefour days of the festival. The brightlights and thrilled screams of thechildren filled the night air asneighbor met neighbor at the eventto walk arm in arm, or take a rideon the ferris wheel.August 28,1986, TH E PHO ENIX, Page 3