This edition of In The Addict is about my experiences in the drug-infested neighborhood in Phoenix known as The Zone.
The Zone is a hell of a place to hang at, and I put the emphasis on the word, "hell". The Zone is approximately a square mile of drug-infested, residential and commercial area, where crackheads, tweakers and homeless people go to get dope and get high. On any given day and at all hours, you can find crack, meth, weed and heroin in this little area, which is only blocks from Phoenix Police headquarters, Maricopa County Sheriffs headquarters and county jail(the Matrix). It's amazing how few people are worried about being arrested, but then again, police presence is a bare minimum there, go figure.
Back in the day, I spent a lot of time in The Zone gettin' high. Matter of fact, The Zone was the first place I scored some crack, when I arrived in Phoenix in '99. I bought a $20 that was so fat,(compared to where I'm from) that I didn't believe it was real. I complained loudly until someone quickly gave me a pipe and I hit it right there on the street. I was "stuck" for a few hours, spent another $30, then finally went home. After that day, I would spend many more days there, and eventually move into The Zone. In a seven-year period, I spent between three and four thousand dollars in The Zone, which is at or below average of what I spent in other locations in Phoenix. If I had to take an educated guess, I would say about two keys (kilograms) a week of cocaine, moves thru The Zone, give or take an ounce or two.
So how has The Zone been allowed to exist for so long in Joe Arpiao's back yard? This guy is supposed to be the "toughest sheriff in the country" yet anyone can smoke or shoot up dope right next to his hang out with little to worry about as far as law enforcement is concerned. You don't have to be a detective to see that someone in Arpaio's camp is getting paid off. Stevie Wonder could see something is amiss when you look at how long The Zone has been a major spot to buy or sell dope. Has there ever been an effort to reclaim this drug-infested neighborhood from dealers and tweakers?
The Zone has changed over the years. There are more facilities to help the homeless, there's gentrification in the surrounding areas. A lot of faces have changed, but one thing remains the same. Dope. I've never seen the same dealer down there. I guess there's a high turn-over rate in the drug dealing business. The thing about The Zone is, anything goes, down there. When I was low on money, I could trade pills, alcohol, clothes or pretty much anything of value to get dope.
I've seen a lot of things in my relatively short 41 years of life and, unfortunately, some of the most tragic things were in Phoenix. The list of sad things I've seen is long, so for this article, I'll stick to what I've seen in The Zone. First, I saw a guy get shot shot in the head with a "zip gun". I don't know if he lived or died, or what the dispute was about, I kept moving. Then, I saw a man get beat down by two crackheads for a $5 piece of crack. I've seen countless women give up their dignity and self-respect for a hit. I saw a beautiful woman in a wheel chair blow crack in front of police with no fear. I was jacked for $10 by some thug with a chrome 45 in his waistband. I've seen a lot of people beggin' for dope and at the same time passing up food, clothing and shelter. It's crazy. The Zone is crazy!
I pray for everyone that's in The Zone and every drug-infested neighborhood in the world. Life is so much more rewarding sober!!!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpFRXztF7Ho
No comments:
Post a Comment