Cork or a New City?

During the summer, a popular set of posts baring “#Cork” made their rounds on social media.The photos posted with the hashtag used shots of Cork City streets as backgrounds andneedles as a focus point. The needles in question were allegedly discarded by drug users andpopped up on major streets among wrappers and the usual city dirt.But there have always been drugs in Cork, right? What has caused people to push this a stepforward, ring into talk radios about their concerns, and take a more wary approach to the city? Itis now very common to see reports of people in the city using public spaces as their sittingrooms to inject, smoke and behave in a way that can no longer be brushed aside.It is now common to hear of people witnessing these acts of drug use in broad daylight. And asa person who has lived down the road from Ireland’s second city all my life, I can vouch that theair in the city has become more claustrophobic.On an errand in the city with my boyfriend, everything seemed as normal when the bus droppedus off. As per usual, there was a man sleeping on the benches outside Deals and floods ofpeople taking up the footpaths. In less than a minute, we were walking behind a group of threelads openly sharing a joint and beaming. It did not take long for the distinct smell of weed to driftup my nose.When we stopped to get ice cream and rest at Paul Street, the cleared air changed from weedto the stale cigarette smell that haunts the city. Sitting with a white plastic table between us andice cream dribbling down my fingers, I couldn’t help keeping an eye over the shoulder of myboyfriend as every couple of seconds shouts would erupt.My boyfriend seemed unfazed by the noises. His years living life as a Parisian made it normalbackground noise to him.Walking back up Paul Street, a short, large man with a ruddy, balding head was standing in themiddle of the street, yelling at people and attempting to grab them into hugs. I instinctivelymoved closer to my significant other as we passed, head down and eyes anywhere but him. Mymind immediately flashed back to the lesson I had been taught as a young girl when it came tostrange characters: ‘Don’t draw them on, yeah.’ I imagine my mother was not the only onedishing out that wisdom.My boyfriend suddenly stopped, shielding me. A guy on a skateboard almost went soaring fromhis skateboard into us. All thanks to the character now shrieking and laughing as the skater justabout kept his balance.I am not saying the streets of Cork have ever been a safe haven but time has slowly changed itfrom a place where you needed to watch your bag, to the present: watch your person, try not toget stabbed by a rogue needle, or assaulted by a stranger.However, this is not helped in anyway by the Catholic Ireland attitude that still exists in Ireland.One look at social media shows the Irish people’s attitude to addiction still has a long way to go.A large portion of social media highlighting the issue preach the solution is to throw all drugusers in jail or poke fun of the situation.For example, one Facebook user had this to say, ‘Here’s a novel idea… jail them for breakingthe law and let them go cold Turkey under supervision inside.’Another said, ‘Let’s make another line for drunk drivers then! Let’s support everyone.’This common theme can be easily seen in Ireland’s relaxed attitude to drink. The old routine ofhaving a pint a day is nothing to be alarmed about for most. After all the liver is just a secondappendix, right? The pub is, even after all these decades, still seen as the place to be andalcohol is still the second mortgage most of us take on without realising it.The stigma surrounding drugs has its parallel to drink. The overall attitude seems to be thatpeople do not want to hear it. The easiest ‘solution’ is to abandon millions in jail cells and notwaste a penny more on them.The same can be said about the most recent debate: the toilets closing on Grand Parade. Thereshould be serious doubts surrounding whether anyone used them in the first place, consideringthe filth could probably outdo McDonald’s bathrooms. But the debate is one about people’splace in society and who deserves to use the cities facilities.The toilets shut earlier this summer due to the increase of needles and other drug paraphernalialittering almost every square inch of the cubical.One remark on a post dedicated to the issue wrote, ‘I don’t have sympathy for users.’Others have called for the government and Gardaí to act. Despite the Garda station being downthe road the lack of Gardas walking or cycling around the city is apparent. The only presence ofneon green I have seen all summer is in front of the station and occasionally taking a stroll insmaller areas such as the South Mall and Opera Lane. However, major drug busts have beenreported recently, such as Gardaí searching a man at Kent Station and arresting him afterfinding €107,000 worth of cocaine and heroin at the scene.So, what does UCC have to do with this?University College Cork is an open campus, a ten-minute walk from the city centre if you arequick. There has never been any shortage of foot traffic. From tourists eagerly snapping photosof students on their way to lectures, to people taking their dogs for a walk and to the strangerguests on campus.During winter last year I witnessed an example of how exposed UCC is. While queuing at a hotchocolate stand with a friend, an elderly woman appeared, looking confused. She pushedthrough the queue. Everyone did the technique my mother always advised me to do: ignore thesituation. The woman yelled, no one responded. She then proceeded to steal chocolate for saleon the stand and when off.Although we do have security guards strolling around campus on hand to help, the reportedincrease in the consumption of heroin and crack cocaine is some food for thought. Especiallywhen it comes to the nightlife, a common staple of a college student’s life. The Students Unionand Freshers’ week has given many opportunities to educate students on safety when it comesto drugs. The recent hospitalisations of young people due to bad batches of drugs at festivals,such as Electric Picnic, paired with the new colours Cork is showing during daylight hours canmake us wonder: is society changing faster than Ireland and the system it imposes?