Community Unity Night at the Jennings Center When: October 25, 2018

Header image: With officer overseeing, a young “interrogator” asks questions of a “witness,” at the Parks and Rec’s Community Unity Night

The Albert G. Jennings Center, at 1330 McCulloch Street, hosted the Parks and Recreation’s third Community Unity Night for the purpose for the community to engage with Fort Wayne police officers. 14-year police veteran Detective JC Gutierrez led a relaxed information forum centered on (but not limited to) the Opioid Crisis for the adults while the youth engaged with in activities and police officers outside the center.

Chantell Holloway Davis, who manages the youth centers for Parks and Recreation spoke with the Fort Wayne Ink Spot about the event.  “We find in our centers that we don’t like police officers for whatever reason.  So we want to try and change that and let people know that police officers are people just like them.”

The Opioid Crisis was chosen as a topic after requests from attendees at the previous community night. 

According to Detective Gutierrez’s presentation, opioids, some of the most sought-after street drugs as they represent a quicker high, Indiana’s new prescribing laws, and the closure of some doctor’s offices who were previously overprescribing opioids, some patients have turned to heroin, notated by the spike in heroin overdoses in the state.  4 out of 5 new heroin users started by abusing prescription opioids.  From 2002 to 2016, heroin drug poisonings increased 533%.

Future community nights will include a discussion on child trafficking.  For information on future events, hit up the Parks and Recreation’s website: FortWayneParks.org.

Detective JC Gutierrez (Vice & Narcotics) presenting drug talk