PHILADELPHIA _ The U.S. attorney in Philadelphia on Thursday will ask a federal court to halt plans to open the nation's first supervised injection site in South Philadelphia and called Wednesday's news conference announcing the facility "a dumpster fire."
William M. McSwain, an outspoken critic of the plans, said in a statement Thursday that the U.S. District Court should stay its final order _ which found in favor of site operators _ while a lawsuit his office filed makes its way through the appeals process. A pause is appropriate, McSwain said, "so that the dispute will continue to be resolved via careful, reasoned analysis and not deteriorate into a literal street fight."
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Gerald A. McHugh issued a ruling that a 30-year-old law targeting so-called crack houses doesn't apply to Safehouse, the nonprofit that says its purpose in opening the site is to prevent overdoses. Federal officials Wednesday filed a notice they would appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. As of midday Thursday, a motion for a stay had not yet been filed.
Safehouse, which is backed by former Gov. Ed Rendell, announced Wednesday during a contentious news conference that it would open the city's first supervised injection site next week inside the Constitution Health Plaza on South Broad Street, a move that drew swift criticism from surprised community members and politicians who panned what they saw as a lack of community input.
Ronda Goldfein, the nonprofit's vice president, said Wednesday that the quick announcement of the South Philadelphia location was a critical move amid an overdose crisis that has killed nearly 3,500 Philadelphians in the last three years. She said Thursday that parties to a lawsuit are "allowed to proceed when there's a decision in their favor" and the group is "evaluating each step of the legal process, as we've been doing since it began more than a year ago."
McSwain said the nonprofit's news conference "featured plenty of logical inconsistency," directly naming Rendell and Goldfein, and said Safehouse's plan was "secretive," "haphazard" and is "being unfairly foisted on" residents.
Goldfein said she disagrees with his characterizations and "this isn't about name-calling."
"We have consistently tried to have a respectful, dignified level of discourse with the Department of Justice," she said, "and we will continue to maintain that level of respect."
Mayor Jim Kenney, whose administration has supported Safehouse's efforts, said plans are underway to open a second supervised injection site in Kensington.
