District and Chapter News

Lee County VOP Chapter confronts painkiller-addiction epidemic

The Lee County VOP Chapter is working on a campaign for more prevention and treatment resources for prescription drug addiction in Southwest Virginia.

Realizing that this issue affects every community in Southwest Virginia, VOP hosted a regional meeting on June 19 in Norton. People attended from six different counties and helped to plan the campaign and a Purdue Pharma sentencing rally in Abingdon.

Chapter members came up with a response to the prescription drug addiction problems in Southwest Virginia. Some of the key points are:

  • the creation of an Appalachian Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment
  • funding for treatment to support both current and new long-term residential treatment centers
  • establishing drug courts throughout the region

Despite a steady rain, on July 20, about 70 people from around the region and also from as far away as Florida, California and Massachusetts attended the rally VOP hosted in Abingdon. People gathered before the sentencing to share stories about, and remember, loved ones who had died from OxyContin related causes.

Despite a steady rain, on July 20, about 70 people from around the region and also from as far away as Florida, California and Massachusetts attended the rally VOP hosted in Abingdon. People gathered before the sentencing to share stories about, and remember, loved ones who had died from OxyContin related causes.

“It was heart-wrenching; that’s all I can say,” said Jill Carson, long-time VOP leader in Lee County.

At the end of the vigil, VOP held a press conference to announce plans for prevention and treatment.

“OxyContin and other painkillers have torn our families and our communities apart in Southwest Virginia,” said Dickenson County resident WC Phillips. “We must come together not just in our local communities, but also regionally, to find solutions to this epidemic. The Virginia Organizing Project is working to do that.”

Jill Carson added, “We’re tired of being the canary in the coal mine of the painkiller-addiction epidemic in Southwest Virginia. Our current approach to the problem is not working, and we need our local, state and federal elected officials to dedicate real resources to prevention and treatment options in Southwest Virginia.”

The vigil and press conference successfully drew attention to the issue and to VOP’s goals in the campaign. Not only regional press but national media picked up on the story. Chapter members are excited about taking the campaign points into fall meetings with local legislators.

The Lee County VOP Chapter will also be hosting a forum on education issues this fall.

For more information about VOP’s organizing in Lee County, and the drug addiction campaign, contact Brian Johns at bjohns@virginia-organizing.org or (276) 619-1920.

Petersburg VOP Chapter message: support a 36 percent cap on payday interest

“These entities have become leeches, as these operations continue to destroy the very fabric of individuals and families . . . there need to be ordinances in place to curb or block future investment into a community that is already financially stressed,” Seitu Brown said.

On September 4, Brown, a member of the Petersburg VOP Chapter, shared these words during the public comment period of the Petersburg City Council. Many in the audience nodded their heads as he spoke. He concluded his comments by inviting the Council members to be proactive and inform, educate and empower citizens about predatory lending.

Petersburg VOP Chapter members are bringing this issue to their Council members and educating them about effects this industry is having on families already struggling. “Wages are not keeping up with the cost of living expenses, people are not earning enough to take care of themselves so they become targets for payday lenders,” Brown said.

During May and June, Chapter members surveyed Petersburg residents to identify some of the needs of the people who go to payday lenders. More than 450 surveys were completed. This information is one tool being used to plan upcoming community workshops. Collaborating with local organizations and faith communities, the Chapter will sponsor workshops on understanding financial institutions and services, money management, employment skills and employability and alternative options for family emergencies.

“Most of us don’t know how to talk with financial institutions; this is a skill that is not taught in school,” said Chapter member Sandra Cook. “It will be very helpful if people understand they can take some other steps before going into the payday loan office.”

The Petersburg VOP Chapter has also created a public service announcement as another tool to begin getting messages to community members to ask legislators to support a 36 percent cap on interest rates for payday loans.

For more information about the Petersburg VOP Chapter, contact Cathy Woodson at (804) 261-7497 or Sandra Cook at (804) 733-8259.

Washington County VOP Chapter is very active

“The Virginia Organizing Project has worked closely with active individuals and groups in Washington County for about a decade, mainly through the Appalachian Peace Education Center and through the local VOP Chapter,” Maura Ubinger said. “Those relationships have continued to strengthen over the summer as we organize to build power in the county.”

On May 23, the Washington County VOP Chapter met to discuss local organizing. The group decided to carry out a one-to-one campaign over the summer focused on bringing new people into the chapter and on broadening membership from outside of the Abingdon and Emory areas. The group also decided to research ways to organize around the predatory lending issue locally.

Alison Osborne-Scanlan, a VOP summer intern, played a major role in organizing the predatory lending meeting and in doing one-to-ones over the summer.

“This exorbitant business practice preys on those in our communities who are most financially vulnerable,” Osborne-Scanlan said. “People seeking a short-term loan to meet a financial emergency find themselves engulfed in a debt that they cannot pay off, thus resulting in the necessity to take out more loans to cover the previous debt.”

The meeting brought in some new people to VOP and also strengthened VOP’s relationship with the local community action agency. Coming out of the meeting, Chapter members are planning on doing one-to-ones with people affected by predatory lending and working with them to share their experiences with local legislators.

Another event in Washington County was the “Show Me the Money” gathering in late June where participants discussed how VOP raises and spends its money. Seventeen people attended from Lee, Washington, Bland, Wythe and Scott counties. Attendees enjoyed discussing what they were working on in their own communities and how VOP is working to build power in those communities and around the state. They also committed to helping raise money for VOP.

“It was a good event,” stated Abingdon resident Carolyn Lee. “I took envelopes to a couple of meetings for other groups I work with and handed them out to people and asked them to donate to VOP.”

For more information about VOP’s organizing in Washington County, or if you are a resident or group who wants to connect to that organizing, contact Brian Johns at bjohns@virginia-organizing.org or (276) 619-1920.