1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: This is Latino USA, the radio journal of News and 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: Kurturre Latino uscix let Latino USA. I'm Maria Inojosa. We 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:13,040 Speaker 1: bring you stories that are underreported but that mattered to you, 4 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: overlooked by the wrest of the media. And while the 5 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: country is struggling to deal with these, we listen to 6 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: the stories of black and Latino Studio United Latino Front, 7 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: a cultural renaissance organizing at the forefront of the movement. 8 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 1: I'm Maria Inojosa. 9 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 2: Nose bayan. 10 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: Or La Latino Usa. Listener, Here's an episode the Los Archivos. 11 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: Before he kicked the habit, Robert Bedda shot heroin for 12 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 1: almost fifty years. 13 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 2: Drugs always been a problem for me. And when you 14 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 2: shoot drugs, you use drugs, and you have drugs, you 15 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 2: don't have no problems a drug, use it with drugs 16 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 2: as a happy person. It's when you don't have it 17 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 2: that the problem again, you know. 18 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: And Robert's problem with drugs led to legal trouble. He 19 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: was in and out of jail for most of his life, 20 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: starting when he was just eleven years old. Today, Robert 21 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: lives back in his hometown of Fajarre, Puerto Rico, he's 22 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: a wiry sixty nine years old. 23 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 2: I don't look it and I don't act it, but 24 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:14,759 Speaker 2: I am. 25 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:15,119 Speaker 3: A little under. 26 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: Ten years ago, Robert was picked up by the police 27 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: and convicted for possession of stolen articles. The court in 28 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: Puerto Rico gave him an option go to prison for 29 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:32,759 Speaker 1: three years or spend eighteen months in a place called ogargrea. 30 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: Oga means home in Spanish, and Grea could mean create 31 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 1: or to believe, but it's also an acronym. It stands 32 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: for Comnidad barralare lugascion readictos, or in English, community for 33 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: the re Education of Attics. It's a drug treatment program 34 00:01:55,960 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: and their representatives are all over the island of Puerto Rico, 35 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: even in the courthouse. 36 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 2: I didn't know they were coming. I didn't ask for 37 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 2: them to come. They were at the court room when 38 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 2: I got there, and they asked me would I like 39 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 2: to go to go to jail. 40 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: Robert chose to go to Grea. He thought, why not, 41 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: I'll try this out. During his stay at Grea, Robert 42 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: lived with about twenty other guys in a barrack style 43 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: concrete dorm building, one of several on the property. Everyone 44 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: in the compound was on the same schedule. 45 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 2: By five o'clock, you got to be I get in 46 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 2: a line by blah blah blah. You gotta say it 47 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 2: a positive statement for the morning. Then you wait a while. 48 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,839 Speaker 2: They called breakfast, You eat breakfast, and then the day starts. 49 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 2: You go on to therapy. 50 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: But therapy in this case is not what you normally 51 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: think about when you think of therapy. This one involves 52 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: putting on a bright yellow T shirt, going door to 53 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: door and selling baked goods. Oh god, Grea I calls 54 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: this sales and representation, therapy. 55 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 2: Sales and representation. That's one of the therapy sessions that they got. 56 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 2: I'm laughing because it's comical. 57 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 1: And if you've spent significant time in Puerto Rico, chances 58 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 1: are you've experienced their famous sales pitch yo. After detox. 59 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,359 Speaker 1: As soon as they can walk right, Grea residents are 60 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: sent into the streets to sell things, mostly cakes and 61 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 1: custards produced by an industrial sized bakery owned by Grea itself. 62 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: They're outside in the hot sun all day. They're often 63 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: given no food or water, and they can't return until 64 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: they've sold everything. Once they're back, they fork over all 65 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 1: the cash they made to Grea. The theory is that soliciting, 66 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: sometimes literally standing in busy intersections selling cookies and cakes, 67 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: will help addicts to stop doing drugs. It also just 68 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: so happens to bring in a lot of money for Korea. 69 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: Robert thought he knew what o God Krea had in 70 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: store for him. He went in hoping it would do 71 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: him some good and maybe even help him get off 72 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: of heroin. But quickly he found out that wasn't the case. 73 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 2: Great exist for a long time, so I figured it 74 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 2: would be more professional. I figure it would be more helpful, 75 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 2: but it wasn't. Nobody there but the knowledge you know 76 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 2: to help you. 77 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: From Futuro Media and PRX, It's Latino Usa. I'm Marien 78 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,560 Speaker 1: no Hoosa today the story of the controversial drug treatment 79 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 1: program that dominates in Puerto Rico and some of the 80 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: strange things that are reported to happen inside. You've probably 81 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: heard about the surge and opioid and heroin use that's 82 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: been ravaging many regions in the United States, but what 83 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 1: you might not know is that the crisis is worse 84 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,559 Speaker 1: in Puerto Rico, and it has been for over half 85 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: a century. There are as many as sixty thousand people 86 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: who inject drugs in Puerto Rico. That's about two percent 87 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,239 Speaker 1: of the island's population. That means that people in Puerto Rico, 88 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,840 Speaker 1: give or take, are about eight times more likely to 89 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 1: inject drugs than the US population as a whole. The 90 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: largest drug treatment provider on the island is ogri Grea. 91 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,479 Speaker 1: They run about sixty centers in Puerto Rico, not to 92 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: mention many others on the US mainland and elsewhere in 93 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: Latin America. In addition to their own fundraising efforts, Ogdgrea 94 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 1: receives millions of dollars in funding from both local and 95 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 1: federal governments. Despite being the biggest and best funded rehab 96 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 1: on the island, ogri Grea and their treatment methods have 97 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:57,840 Speaker 1: been controversial, some would even say abusive. I'm going to 98 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: hand it off now to reporter What Cotler, who's been 99 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: working on this story for over a year. We're going 100 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,839 Speaker 1: to learn about OGD kream, its background, and the larger 101 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,720 Speaker 1: than life man who founded it. Oh and by the way, 102 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: there's some adult language in this story, which we've believed. 103 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 3: Pretty much everyone in Puerto Rico either knows someone or 104 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 3: knows of someone who has been through Ogdkrea for over 105 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 3: fifty years. CREA has been the rehab center on the 106 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 3: island and heroin has been the drug of choice for 107 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 3: Puerto Ricans. OGA Crea was founded by a man named 108 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 3: Juan Jose Garcia Rios, better known by his nickname che Juan. 109 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 3: He eventually became such an important figure in Puerto Rico 110 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 3: that he had a rendition of his life story released 111 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 3: on vinyl. The record is in the style of an 112 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 3: old radio drama. The record chronicles chehuan struggle with drugs 113 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 3: from the first time he smoked marijuana when he was ten. 114 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, OK, what I say. 115 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 3: According to the record, he developed some bad habits when 116 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 3: he visited New York City at age fifteen. 117 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 2: Come on, honey, let's damn. 118 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 3: At sixteen, he started using heroin. Eventually, Chihuan's arrested and 119 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 3: sentenced to three to five years in prison. While serving 120 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 3: his sentence, he worked in the prison library and became 121 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 3: an avid reader. He developed the belief that Puerto Rican 122 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 3: migration to New York City and the resulting economic stress, 123 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 3: culture shock, and discrimination were at the root of many 124 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 3: Puerto Rican's addictions. He also noticed that many people from 125 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 3: the island were returning from the Vietnam War with substance 126 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 3: abuse problems. Chihuan founded Roger Crea when he was released 127 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 3: from prison in nineteen sixty eight. His aim was to 128 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 3: create a re educational program, a therapeutic community where people 129 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 3: could live together and start over without drugs. He designed 130 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:02,400 Speaker 3: and Crea not only as a rehab center, but as 131 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 3: a long term housing facility for people with nowhere else 132 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 3: to go. It will become the treatment facility for everyone 133 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 3: from national celebrities to the average citizen, and in fact, 134 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 3: Puerto Rican celebrities did in the Berea, especially musicians. CREA 135 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:21,120 Speaker 3: even had its own in house salsa orchestra, made up 136 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 3: of musicians who went through the program, like percussionists Cheo 137 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 3: Feliciano and legendary vocalist Frankie Hernandez. The group even released 138 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:42,959 Speaker 3: a salsa album on Fania Records called Impactos Crea. When 139 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 3: CREA began, there were virtually no other drug treatment centers 140 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 3: on the island. By nineteen seventy three, it expanded from 141 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 3: a handful of residents living in a group home to 142 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 3: a federation of over thirty facilities. Before long, che Juan 143 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 3: was looked at as a hero, he had revolutionized drug 144 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 3: treatment in Puerto Rico. The so called therapeutic community treatment 145 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 3: model was popular in the United States at the time. 146 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 3: Heroin auticts, alcoholics, and potsmokers would all live together to 147 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 3: help each other stay out of trouble, taking turns leading 148 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:13,199 Speaker 3: group therapy sessions. It was designed to be a democratic, 149 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 3: participant led environment where people could learn job skills, good habits, 150 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 3: and eventually re enter society without their addictions. Based on 151 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,440 Speaker 3: his own experiences and readings, Chihuan added his own twists 152 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 3: that made his organization unique. He was brilliant at raising money. 153 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 3: Not only did he convince the government to give Krea 154 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 3: enormous financial support, he also made fundraising part of the 155 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:42,080 Speaker 3: treatment itself. That's the sales and representation therapy we mentioned earlier. 156 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:46,400 Speaker 3: Chihuan folded religion into his unique treatment model as well, 157 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 3: because of the role faith played in his own recovery. 158 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 3: Chihuan sought to bring participants closer to God, the final 159 00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 3: step in overcoming addiction. But before being built up to God, well, 160 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 3: attics had to be broken down. They had to acknowledge 161 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 3: their problem. Ji Juan had a plan for that too, 162 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:07,720 Speaker 3: Confrontational therapy also known as attack therapy, it's the process 163 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 3: of tearing down an individual's ego in order to re 164 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 3: educate them, usually by forcing them to confront quote unquote 165 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 3: unpleasant realities about themselves. It was a popular tactic in 166 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,200 Speaker 3: addiction programs on the Mainland since the fifties, especially in 167 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 3: boot camp programs for troubled teens. According to their website, 168 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 3: confrontational therapy is a central part of the Kraa experience, 169 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 3: and according to Robert Pereeda, the former Kraa participant we 170 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 3: spoke to earlier, some days they'd make you do it 171 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 3: around the clock, that overnight confrontation. 172 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 2: Twenty four hours a day, all night, without sleep, without nothing, 173 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 2: without food. That's real, it's real, messed up. 174 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 3: That was the thing. 175 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's yeah, twenty four hours do you confront people. 176 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 2: It's all night. 177 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 3: They sit you down in a chair and take turns 178 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 3: insulting you till you're broken. That was the worst part 179 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:55,959 Speaker 3: for Robert. 180 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 2: Everybody called you an animal, dog, that you ain't no good, 181 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 2: that you yeah, don't mean, all kind of crazy. And 182 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 2: then somebody come fu and they take you out and 183 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:06,560 Speaker 2: put another person in there. You know, and you don't 184 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:09,040 Speaker 2: have no sleep your tied. You know, they could say anything. 185 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:16,480 Speaker 3: The idea is that once you've been broken down, you'll 186 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,200 Speaker 3: realize that you need to change. Only then can you 187 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 3: be built back up, free from drugs and closer to Jesus. 188 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,319 Speaker 3: And if you fall out of line, well there are consequences. 189 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:31,319 Speaker 3: I spoke to drug users in two towns, Fajardo and Caguas. 190 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 3: Almost all of them had been through KREA and had 191 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 3: stories of strange and sometimes abusive things that they went through. 192 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:40,920 Speaker 3: One guy told me that as punishment, they would shave 193 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 3: your eyebrows or shave the shape of a cross into 194 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 3: your hair. 195 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 2: They treat you like wars and a dog. You don't 196 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 2: do that to the dog, but they do that to us. 197 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:54,560 Speaker 3: Another mentioned that there were repercussions for everything. 198 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 4: They caught you smoking and smoking. 199 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 3: The guy translating here is named Panama. He showed me 200 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 3: around Cogua. 201 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 2: They would do a. 202 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 4: Chain like a chain of cugartte butts black. If you 203 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 4: caught your masturbating, you paint your hand your hand black 204 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,719 Speaker 4: and put a bell on your on your wrist. And 205 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 4: when there were visiting days, you would have to go 206 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:25,680 Speaker 4: table by table to everybody who came to the visit 207 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:27,720 Speaker 4: and explain to them why you. 208 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:29,319 Speaker 2: To everybody else. 209 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 3: The guys I'm talking with tell me about Vans that. 210 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 5: They got him recruiting addicts in the street. 211 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:38,960 Speaker 3: They drive around town looking for down and out people 212 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:40,560 Speaker 3: to pick up and then roll out a center. 213 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 2: That's the boss right there. 214 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,199 Speaker 3: In the very moment they're telling me about this, a 215 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:46,679 Speaker 3: blue and yellow passenger band with Claire's logo printed on 216 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:54,559 Speaker 3: it drives right by us right there. Got them, but 217 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:57,199 Speaker 3: it's everywhere, like at the traffic light. They guys selling 218 00:12:57,240 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 3: the plastic bags. 219 00:12:58,240 --> 00:12:58,440 Speaker 2: Yeah. 220 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 3: As as a reminder, this isn't some small, weird rehab 221 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 3: It's the biggest treatment network in Puerto Rico. Despite the 222 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 3: sometimes strange things that happened inside CREA's doors, the organization 223 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 3: was hailed as a success in Puerto Rico and beyond. 224 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:17,560 Speaker 3: They expanded to the Dominican Republic in nineteen seventy five. 225 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 3: By nineteen eighty one, CREA had branched out to the mainland, 226 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 3: opening a facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where, according to CREA's website, 227 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:28,600 Speaker 3: chi Juan was even given the key to the city. 228 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:32,959 Speaker 3: By the eighties, CREA was also in Costa Rica, Nicaragua 229 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 3: and Colombia, among other countries in Latin America. In the nineties. 230 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 3: Back in Puerto Rico, CREA continued to thrive. The Puerto 231 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,719 Speaker 3: Rican government was privatizing medical care throughout the island and 232 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 3: as a result pretty much dissolved its own drug treatment programs. 233 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 3: After that, there were even fewer alternatives to CREA, and 234 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 3: taxpayer money both in Puerto Rico and the mainland flowed 235 00:13:56,440 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 3: into the organization. Jehuan's hometown of Trujillo all don't even 236 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:08,120 Speaker 3: dedicated a street in his honor. CREA was here to stay, 237 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,199 Speaker 3: selling it to make goods and saving souls around the hemisphere. 238 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 3: Coming up on Latino, USA. 239 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 6: Was the main actor of violating human rights of drug 240 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:30,720 Speaker 6: users in Puerto Rico and Dominican rebubble. 241 00:14:31,360 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: That's coming up. Stay with us, Yes, hey, we're back. 242 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 1: And when we left off, we were telling this story 243 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 1: of the meteoric rise of a drug treatment program in 244 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:32,800 Speaker 1: Puerto Rico Calledrea and the story of its founder, Chijuan 245 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: Gria was growing and growing and expanding overseas. Money was 246 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,120 Speaker 1: coming in from donations and government grants, but also from 247 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:47,320 Speaker 1: great residents who were out selling faked goods, remember sales 248 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 1: and representation. At the same time, concern was growing among 249 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: people in the drug treatment world about just what was 250 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:59,240 Speaker 1: happening behind Grea's doors and about the potential for abuse 251 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: in their confrontational therapy model. Joaquin Coutler picks up the 252 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: story now. 253 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 3: By the nineteen nineties, allegations of physical and sexual abuse 254 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 3: in CREA centers started piling up, particularly in the mainland 255 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:18,240 Speaker 3: US branches. In Pennsylvania, nineteen former participants filed charges cousin 256 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 3: CREA's top administrator on the mainland to resign. CREA had 257 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:26,040 Speaker 3: long been denying that abuse was happening. In nineteen ninety four, 258 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 3: responding to the Pennsylvania allegations, Chejuan said, quote, the character 259 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 3: of an addict is that they are liars manipulators. CREA 260 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 3: would eventually lose their charter in the state. In Puerto Rico, Ogar, 261 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 3: CREA was also starting to face scrutiny. Certain people in 262 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:48,520 Speaker 3: the drug treatment world were questioning the value of what 263 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 3: CREA does. 264 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:52,280 Speaker 5: All what they do is work, pray in the morning 265 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,400 Speaker 5: and do more work. And I have groups of of 266 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 5: assaulting each other. 267 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 3: Doctor Salvador Santiago Negron is a former director of AMSCA, 268 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:06,440 Speaker 3: Puerto Rico's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association. He's 269 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 3: a public health advocate and researches the effects of stigma 270 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 3: and confrontational therapy on people who use drugs. 271 00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 5: There is a new data that confrontational therapy is not 272 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,959 Speaker 5: good for patience because that we mean there self imish 273 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:22,959 Speaker 5: is not helping them at all. We have a lot 274 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 5: of discussion with this program because they were insisting on 275 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,400 Speaker 5: using that technique, but it's not premn at all. 276 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:34,399 Speaker 3: So to summarize that, was the former head of the 277 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:37,720 Speaker 3: government agency in Puerto Rico that deals in addiction, and 278 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 3: he just said that based on updated science, he believes CREA, 279 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:51,919 Speaker 3: the island's largest treatment organization, isn't actually treating anybody. Despite 280 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 3: being the biggest rehab in Puerto Rico, CREA had never 281 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:58,120 Speaker 3: been fully evaluated by an outside entity. Its outcomes were 282 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,879 Speaker 3: at best a mystery. But in the year two thousand 283 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 3: that was set to change. The Puerto Rican government was 284 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:09,119 Speaker 3: going to start regulating drug treatment on the island. A 285 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:11,760 Speaker 3: law was set to pass requiring all rehabs in Puerto 286 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:15,480 Speaker 3: Rico to have their methods and results evaluated. The idea 287 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 3: was to hold treatment centers accountable and establish some transparency 288 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 3: about where government money was being spent. CREA didn't seem 289 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:26,480 Speaker 3: to like that. They lobbied to have the bill changed 290 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:30,720 Speaker 3: with the help of powerful evangelical leaders. Santiago na Grone said, 291 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,120 Speaker 3: lawmakers changed their minds literally overnight. 292 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:37,160 Speaker 5: They agree with all student the day eleven o'clog night, 293 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:41,160 Speaker 5: the CREA and all the groups met with very powerful 294 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:44,840 Speaker 5: politicians and they introduced that boss they are in their law. 295 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 3: During a late night handshake deal, the Speaker of the 296 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,640 Speaker 3: House introduced a clause that essentially undermined the very existence 297 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 3: of the law. This clause protects any organizations providing spiritual 298 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:59,640 Speaker 3: or pastoral guidance from any type of government regulation, including 299 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:04,639 Speaker 3: a valueuation. The bill passed with the clause. Since CREA 300 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:07,719 Speaker 3: is a private, faith based program, they would be legally 301 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 3: exempt from government evaluation. This meant that CREA's questionable therapy 302 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 3: techniques could continue unmonitored. The legislator who introduced the clause 303 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:21,200 Speaker 3: was the speaker of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives. 304 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:24,359 Speaker 1: It is so miss La al Daroldo, ex President de 305 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:24,840 Speaker 1: La Camera. 306 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:27,200 Speaker 3: In two thousand and one, he resigned from his position 307 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:30,160 Speaker 3: in Puerto Rico's Lower House after being accused of extortion, 308 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 3: money laundering, and witness tampering unrelated to Crea. He was 309 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:37,679 Speaker 3: later convicted of corruption and sexual abuse of a minor. 310 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 3: But while his personal legacy is tainted, Crea is still 311 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 3: protected from government oversight. But there is one academic report 312 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:51,399 Speaker 3: about Ugacrea's treatment model. It's not an official evaluation of treatment, 313 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:54,120 Speaker 3: but the authors found, to put it plainly. 314 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:59,399 Speaker 6: Crea was the main actor of violating human rights of 315 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 6: drug user in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. 316 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 3: That's the voice of Rafael Toua, a co author of 317 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:05,720 Speaker 3: the report. 318 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:09,119 Speaker 6: Human rights abuses were committed under the auspices. So basically 319 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:13,159 Speaker 6: two or three things, but two mainly one. Confrontational therapy 320 00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:19,359 Speaker 6: for drug users only makes things worse. How retraumatizing an 321 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 6: individual that already has been traumatized, as if pushing you 322 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:27,639 Speaker 6: to that edge and breaking you down emotionally would make 323 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:30,119 Speaker 6: you understand and you to stop using drugs. That's why 324 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 6: we talk about a revolving door. If you keep re 325 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 6: traumatizing somebody, they keep coming at you, and you keep charging, 326 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:37,480 Speaker 6: you're making money. And then the second thing that we 327 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,160 Speaker 6: founded the report. That was horrible is that not only 328 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 6: do you re traumatize them, then you tell them that 329 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,000 Speaker 6: for their own treatment to get better, you have to 330 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:50,119 Speaker 6: sell my good and work for me for free, almost 331 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 6: the definition of slavery. 332 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:04,479 Speaker 3: Raphael and Intercambios for libel, essentially trying to get them 333 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 3: to retract their report. 334 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 6: We were in a court case because CREA really didn't 335 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 6: like the report that exposed this. They said, no, we 336 00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:15,040 Speaker 6: have all the right to do what we do. We're 337 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 6: going to launch a lawsuit against you. Let's call a slapsuit. 338 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 3: The slapsuit went on for almost three years, but unfortunately 339 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:25,680 Speaker 3: for CREA, in May of twenty eighteen, they lost. 340 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:31,800 Speaker 6: They lost, like really bad. What happened is they looked 341 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:36,439 Speaker 6: like the shady organization that they seem to be. 342 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:43,400 Speaker 3: One moment. 343 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:43,879 Speaker 5: Please. 344 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:46,959 Speaker 3: In August of twenty seventeen, when I first started reporting 345 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:48,920 Speaker 3: on CREA, I reached out to them to hear their 346 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:56,720 Speaker 3: side in Corpore. Unfortunately, connecting with them wasn't easy. Press night, 347 00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:59,120 Speaker 3: I sent a bunch of emails and called over twenty 348 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,920 Speaker 3: times trying to get hold of their director at Dorfriguetoa 349 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 3: or anyone else that would talk to me is not 350 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 3: available at the moment. It was amazed extensions, voicemail boxes 351 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:12,560 Speaker 3: and dead ends. There is not enough message todays to 352 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:15,000 Speaker 3: make a recording exit in the systems. 353 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 5: Goodbye. 354 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:21,199 Speaker 3: Eventually, I showed up in person at their headquarters outside 355 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:25,239 Speaker 3: San Juan in January. Even in person, I still got 356 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:28,359 Speaker 3: the run around if I give you your email, en, 357 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 3: but I also got a new email address and a 358 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 3: cell number to have it. Eventually, after weeks of phone tag, 359 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,280 Speaker 3: someone claiming to be the director of treatment emailed me 360 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,359 Speaker 3: back in May of twenty eighteen, declining to comment on 361 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:50,120 Speaker 3: their history, their styles of therapy, the lawsuit, or anything else. Fentanyl, 362 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 3: the synthetic opioid that's responsible for the surge of overdoses 363 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:55,960 Speaker 3: in the United States in recent years, has been ubiquitous 364 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 3: in Puerto Rico's heroin supply since Hurricane Maria. Hard numbers 365 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:02,920 Speaker 3: on overdoses in Puerto Rico are hard to determine, but 366 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:05,639 Speaker 3: we do know that statistics around AIDS and hepatitis on 367 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,800 Speaker 3: the island, both diseases associated with intravenous drug use, are staggering. 368 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:11,920 Speaker 2: Puerto Rico is an injection island. 369 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:14,880 Speaker 7: Half of the people that are infected with HIV AIDS 370 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 7: are infected because of their history with injection drug use. 371 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,000 Speaker 7: It's just a monumental problem. 372 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:25,000 Speaker 3: That's Camilla Helpia Costa. She's a researcher on intervenous drug 373 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:26,200 Speaker 3: use among Puerto Ricans. 374 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:30,920 Speaker 7: Puerto Rico is the fourth MSA metropolitan statistical area in 375 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:35,679 Speaker 7: the entire United States, the fourth in hib eight's deaths. 376 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 7: Ninety pc of our injectors in the island ninety am, 377 00:23:39,359 --> 00:23:42,760 Speaker 7: I do you understand? Nine zero? Virtually all of them 378 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:44,240 Speaker 7: have hypathetic Okay. 379 00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:47,960 Speaker 3: On top of this, what's known as the treatment gap 380 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,680 Speaker 3: in Puerto Rico is staggering ninety two percent. That means 381 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:53,800 Speaker 3: only eight percent of people on the island in need 382 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:58,080 Speaker 3: of substance abuse treatment are getting it. Because of their size, 383 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 3: their influence, and their political connections, Ogricrea is still Puerto 384 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:06,840 Speaker 3: Rico's main residential treatment center. Ogorcrea receives about eight million 385 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 3: dollars a year from government grants and programs. In other words, 386 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:15,000 Speaker 3: eight million dollars of local and federal taxpayer money. Tax 387 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:17,240 Speaker 3: audits also show that they own more than twenty five 388 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:22,679 Speaker 3: million dollars in assets, land, vehicles, equipment, et cetera. As 389 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:25,880 Speaker 3: of twenty fifteen, they operated sixty facilities in Puerto Rico, 390 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,880 Speaker 3: with fifteen hundred participants at any given time. The government 391 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:35,919 Speaker 3: currently runs just four facilities. CREA is what's known as 392 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:39,880 Speaker 3: an abstinence only program. It's an old fashioned philosophy, often 393 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:42,800 Speaker 3: accompanied by a religious component or the surrender to a 394 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 3: higher power. This kind of zero tolerance does work for 395 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 3: some people, and many former addicts do credit CREA with 396 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:53,960 Speaker 3: getting them off drugs, but critics like Camilla say that 397 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,680 Speaker 3: just say no doesn't necessarily work for everyone. They say 398 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:01,320 Speaker 3: abstinence only doesn't address the underlying of drug use or 399 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:04,639 Speaker 3: the danger of deadly diseases from needle sharing. It can 400 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 3: actually make things worse. Camilla runs a much smaller organization 401 00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 3: called El Punto and La Montagna. Among other services, they 402 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 3: do needle exchanges, providing sterile syringes for people who are 403 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:22,680 Speaker 3: going to use drugs anyway so they don't spread diseases. 404 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:26,760 Speaker 3: They also provide narcan, a drug that prevents overdoes deaths, 405 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 3: to family members and friends of drug users. Unlike CREA, 406 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 3: Camilla says her organization and others like it get essentially 407 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:35,199 Speaker 3: nothing from the government. 408 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 7: If the government could guarantee money for us to do 409 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:42,160 Speaker 7: this work. It would also be allowing us to rally 410 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,600 Speaker 7: the masses, to educate the communities, and to actually wake 411 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 7: everybody up on the need for drug Politzer reform, cariod 412 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:52,480 Speaker 7: to save lives. But we don't have that funding. We 413 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:56,359 Speaker 7: don't have that support from the government. Zero zero, and 414 00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:57,399 Speaker 7: they know we exist. 415 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:07,199 Speaker 3: For Robert Padeda, the lifelong drug user we heard from 416 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:10,399 Speaker 3: at the beginning, Cray didn't help him quit heroin. He 417 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:12,840 Speaker 3: didn't even serve out his eighteen month crey A sentence. 418 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:15,879 Speaker 3: He left early, went to prison for three years, and 419 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 3: kept using. But in the back of his mind, he 420 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 3: kept wanting to lose the habit for good. 421 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,320 Speaker 2: You know, I've kicked maybe over a hundred times my 422 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:27,160 Speaker 2: life easy, over a hundred times. After all the years, 423 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:30,119 Speaker 2: I still used. I used, I used you. The problem 424 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:31,680 Speaker 2: is I didn't have anything better to do. 425 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:35,600 Speaker 3: But eventually he made the decision to quit on his own. 426 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:38,720 Speaker 2: I had served my sense, and now I was shooting 427 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:42,680 Speaker 2: drugs and the projects Cassio down the street there, and 428 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:44,879 Speaker 2: I came out to shooting when I got to the 429 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:47,119 Speaker 2: corner and I just I said, man, I'm tired of 430 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:50,440 Speaker 2: this bush. You know, and I prayed. I said, damn God, 431 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 2: I'm tired of this. I gotta stop. 432 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 3: So he took it upon himself to find some suboxone, 433 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 3: a medication that's provided by a few doctors on the 434 00:26:58,359 --> 00:27:01,680 Speaker 3: island and available on the street. It contains an opioid, 435 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:03,960 Speaker 3: but you can't overdose from it, and it takes away 436 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 3: the jonesing. It doesn't really get Robert high, and it's 437 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:08,720 Speaker 3: a lot safer than street drugs. 438 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:10,320 Speaker 2: And there was a friend of mineus I used to 439 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:12,560 Speaker 2: work real loosely, not a friend, but somebody I know, 440 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 2: And I asked him could he buy me something? Some 441 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,679 Speaker 2: boxing with a prescription. I mean people get him from prescription, 442 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 2: but they sell them. A lot of people sell them. 443 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,920 Speaker 2: At that time, it was ten dollars each. I think 444 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,400 Speaker 2: I got a couple in my bucket. That's a little stript. Yeah, 445 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:28,159 Speaker 2: and you cut it. 446 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:33,119 Speaker 3: Use the piece now. Robert himself is a mentor of sorts, 447 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 3: a former heroin user who spends his time helping other 448 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 3: people who use drugs. 449 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:39,800 Speaker 2: If you really really feel like you want to stop 450 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:43,160 Speaker 2: using drugs, my name is Robert. I help you all 451 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:44,840 Speaker 2: I can. I know what it is, I know what 452 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:45,240 Speaker 2: it's like. 453 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 3: Robert is an outreach worker. He visits the shooting galleries 454 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 3: every day to check on people, offering fraternity and support 455 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:56,600 Speaker 3: and sometimes life saving advice, and he believes that the 456 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 3: work he's doing is more effective than Claire. 457 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:01,440 Speaker 2: But I really want want to help people to live 458 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,639 Speaker 2: a stable life. I would like for somebody to be 459 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:07,959 Speaker 2: able to get up every morning without being sick, without 460 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:10,919 Speaker 2: not coming out of their nose. Their stomach's all messed up, 461 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,000 Speaker 2: they can't walk, can't hardly breathe because they dope got 462 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:16,800 Speaker 2: you all messed up. And I don't think nobody should 463 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:20,160 Speaker 2: go through that. I try to do things for people 464 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:24,879 Speaker 2: so they won't commit the same mistakes I make. And 465 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,880 Speaker 2: it's gonna happen. You're gonna wind up in jail, you're 466 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:29,960 Speaker 2: gonna wind up dead, or you're gonna wind up sick 467 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:34,120 Speaker 2: for using old saybringes. People don't realize that they're looking 468 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 2: at at themselves ten twenty thirty years from now, and 469 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:40,520 Speaker 2: all that time it's gone and you're not gonna get 470 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:43,080 Speaker 2: it back. I lost all that time, I lost my kids, 471 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:44,760 Speaker 2: I lost my wife. But you know, a lot of 472 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:47,000 Speaker 2: money and you shouldn't lose it. 473 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: The founder of okram Chi. Juan died in two thousand 474 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:02,760 Speaker 1: and two, but his vision lives on. Grea's current director, 475 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:06,320 Speaker 1: ek Door Figueroa, has claimed that the abuse of practices 476 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 1: there have stopped, but he has decided to stick with confrontation, 477 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:14,040 Speaker 1: sales and representation, and the faith based. 478 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:15,080 Speaker 3: Re educational model. 479 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: A new law in Puerto Rico that would open the 480 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,480 Speaker 1: door for drug policy reform has been under debate since 481 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: early twenty seventeen. It would establish a medical standard by 482 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:29,560 Speaker 1: which treatment programs like GREA are evaluated, and it would 483 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:33,760 Speaker 1: ramp up the availability of medications like suboxone. The bill 484 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 1: is currently stalled in Puerto Rico's legislature. This episode was 485 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:53,400 Speaker 1: reported by Juaquin Kotler and edited by Marlon Bishop, with 486 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:56,920 Speaker 1: additional editing by Ruxandra Guidi. It was made possible by 487 00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:20,880 Speaker 1: a fellowship from the Marguerite Casey Foundation. This episode originally 488 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:23,719 Speaker 1: aired in December of twenty eighteen. It was reported by 489 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 1: Juaquin Cockler and edited by Marlon Bishop, additional editing by 490 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 1: Druxandra Guili. It was mixed by Stephanie Lebau. The Latino 491 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:39,480 Speaker 1: USA team includes Victori Estrara, Renaldo Leanos junior Andrea Lopez Rusado, 492 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:43,920 Speaker 1: Joni mar Marquez, Marta Martinez, Mike Sargent, Nor Saudi and 493 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:48,640 Speaker 1: Nancy Trujuillo. Benilee Ramirez is our co executive producer. Our 494 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 1: senior engineer is Julia Caruso. Additional engineering support by gabriel 495 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 1: Lebiez and jj Carubin. Our marketing manager is Luis luna 496 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:02,640 Speaker 1: Ar theme music was composed by Segne Rubinos. I'm your 497 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 1: host and executive producer Maria noo Josa. Join us again 498 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:07,800 Speaker 1: on our next episode. In the meantime, look for us 499 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:10,880 Speaker 1: on social media. I will see you there and remember 500 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 1: yes Lunka Baye. 501 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:17,720 Speaker 3: Funding for Latino USA is coverage of a culture of 502 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 3: health is made possible in part by a grant from 503 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:25,080 Speaker 3: the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Latino USA is made possible 504 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:29,680 Speaker 3: in part by the Ford Foundation, working with visionaries on 505 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:34,479 Speaker 3: the front lines of social change worldwide, and the Heising 506 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:41,720 Speaker 3: Simons Foundation Unlocking knowledge, opportunity and possibilities. More at hsfoundation 507 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:42,440 Speaker 3: dot org