Santa Monica residents call for end to LA County's needle distribution program at parks

Concerned parents and community members in Santa Monica met at Reed Park to protest Los Angeles County's controversial needle distribution program, saying it's attracting substance abusers to local parks.

The Santa Monica Coalition led the protest Tuesday where Councilmember Christine Parra spoke out about her concerns regarding the program. She and others fear the program has sparked an uptick in violent crime.

"Our children go to school here. They do not deserve to see this and be a part of this every day," she said.

What is the needle distribution program?

According to the L.A. County Public Health Department's website, providing sterile (unused) syringes (needles) decreases the spread of blood-borne infections like HIV and viral hepatitis because drug users don't have to share or reuse syringes. The harm reduction programs distribute sterile syringes and collect used syringes in the community.

You can learn more about the county's harm reduction programs here .

L.A. County and the Venice Family Clinic have been operating the open-air, publicly funded, needle distribution program. They make their distributions at Reed Park, Tongva Park and Palisades Park, along Ocean Avenue.

Concerned parents speak out

Eyewitness News spoke with one emotional parent at Tuesday's rally and said her son once begged her to leave Reed Park over safety concerns.

"He said to me, 'Mom, can you please move me somewhere safe?' He did not want to walk outside by himself for a very long time," she said.

The L.A. County department said it remains committed to providing services to those struggling with a substance use disorder.

In a statement, the department said in part, "Restricting access to harm reduction services will only exacerbate the current overdose and homelessness crises facing our communities."

City officials in Santa Monica recently passed a resolution requesting the county-run free needle distribution program to be moved indoors, away from public view. The Santa Monica Coalition said more than 20,000 letters have been sent to city, county and state officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom.

They have also filed a lawsuit against Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, the department itself, and the Venice Family Clinic.

"We want our parks available for safe use for all our families and visitors. We believe the program should be moved away from our parks," the coalition said in a statement.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said the city of Santa Monica operated the needle distribution program, and that it was the only one of its kind in the state. There are various similar programs across the state of California, and the distribution is not operated by the city of Santa Monica.