The event was organized by Middletown’s Pat Herndon, 67, and her good friend, Josephine Gates, 65. The ladies said it was important to assist the police department and educate the community about the dangers of heroin, what has been called an epidemic in the region.
Gates, sweat pouring off her face, said the number of marchers wasn’t important. The message was, she said.
“The Bible says, ‘Where there’s one or two, He’s in the midst,’ ” she said. “And truly He has been in the midst here today. It’s been hot, but we are wavering the hot. Somewhere it’s hotter than this. We got to come out from behind our walls and help these police officers fight this. It’s a war out here.”
Larry Mulligan and Dora Bronston, Middletown’s mayor and vice mayor, respectively, presented a proclamation to Herndon and her committee. Mulligan said city and community members have held “heroin summits” for the last two years, and the city is seeing a decrease in overdoses.
Earlier Lt. David Birk from the Middletown Division of Police said the city saw 68 overdoses in August, but 15 in the first three weeks this month.
“The efforts are working,” said Birk, who added the city will increase its canine unit next year.
Mulligan called the march “a great illustration” of a community addressing the war on heroin.
“We really must step up together,” he told the crowd. “We have to face it, address it and overcome it. There is no one single solution, but by working together we can find solutions that meet the needs of every family.”
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