City Concerned About Safety, Drug and Alcohol use
Kalamazoo’s Board of Commissioners recently opted to file a lawsuit aimed at condemning a residential property known for “X-Train” parties. Filed in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court as of Aug. 3, 2022, the active suit alleges that the house at 825 Woodbury Ave. is a critical node for the increasingly infamous parties. Furthermore, MLive reported that local law enforcement officials describe X-Train parties as mobile nuisances fraught with drug and alcohol abuse. That apparently includes marijuana and heroin abuse. They’ve also been said to be violent parties. However, shutting down the property itself, however, is not likely to shut down the parties since the gatherings are decentralized.
X-Train Party Activities
The parties feature loud music, drinking and dancing. Police report having frequently been called to these parties due to fights, shootings and roads being blocked by cars. The court filing alleges that the house gets used for gambling and drug use. Apparently, officers served a search warrant on-site on June 24. Inside the house, they found a craps table, poker chips, dice, cards, heroin, prescription pills and a sawed-off shotgun with ammunition.
The lawsuit reads:
“The property serves as a gathering place for large parties where loud music plays through the night along with large crowds, parked vehicles filling the streets, controlled substance use sales and purchases occur, gambling takes place, underage and unsupervised alcoholic consumption occurs, there has been the presence of firearms and bullets of various caliber and empty ammunition cartons in and around the property and prostitution activity is suspected.”
Moreover, May 14 marked a case-in-point X-Train party. About 100 cars blocked the streets based on what’s seen on drone footage provided by the Kalamazoo Police Department. Seven people were arrested that night for a myriad of charges, including concealed carry of a weapon, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, resisting arrest and obstructing police.
Heroin as an Indicator at the X-Train House
Separately, evidence of heroin use at the X-Train house suggests a bigger problem for Kalamazoo residents. Law enforcement, media and neighbors have all given different accounts as to whether or not people live in the house. The court filing claims the house is uninhabited. However, the Kalamazoo Gazette reportedly saw people working on the house, while neighbors told the Gazette that people lived inside.
Although, Heroin is usually only considered a party drug by those who don’t know much about it. Unlike marijuana or cocaine, heroin’s not a social drug. Different drugs yield different highs. Stimulants like cocaine and ecstasy yield the kind of highs that people want for parties.
These drugs keep people awake all night for long parties. Heroin on the other hand is a potent sedative. It decelerates breathing and blood circulation. Therefore, anyone trying to party will lose their will to do so when they’re on heroin. They’ll have trouble partying with that drug. Finding heroin in the house, therefore, suggests that certain people do stay in the house when parties aren’t happening.
Risks of Modern Heroin Use
Party or no party, 2022 is a particularly risky year to use heroin. The risk, in fact, has been steadily increasing for years. The Drug Enforcement Agency reports that fentanyl is typically added to heroin specifically. Producers do this to increase the potency of heroin. Sometimes, fentanyl is marketed by itself, “disguised as highly potent heroin,” the DEA said.
“Many users believe that they are purchasing heroin and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl — which often results in overdose deaths,” the DEA’s narcotics page reports.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released provisional data in September showing that, in the 12-month period ending March 2022, over 109,000 people died of drug overdoses. Synthetic opioids were involved in over two-thirds of those deaths, and typically the synthetic opioids were fentanyl.
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