Millville Neighbors Take Drug Infested Community Matter into Their Own Hands
In Cumberland County, dozens of needles were found just feet away from where children play.
One man's made it his mission to change that from ever happening again.
"We were here yesterday. We were just here yesterday," said Robert Kilroy. He's disgusted to find a syringe in Waltman Park in Millville Monday afternoon, a day after he says he and a group of residents cleaned up here.
"I come out here everyday to take the dog for a walk and find this stuff. I find it disgusting that this is our park where kids are supposed to feel safe and it's not," he said. And that's his biggest concern, that this is a community park where lots of families bring their children every day. He's afraid one of them will get hurt.
"75 feet away there's kids playing on the playground and I got three needles sitting right there in the weeds," said Kilroy. Last week he took a bunch of stuff he found at the park to a City Commission meeting to show to board members.
"In four days we collected over 200 wax bags that the heroin comes in, 13 needles and about 100 little plastic bags that the pot comes in and I had it in a steel container," said Kilroy.
Timothy and Kimberly Carty bring their 3-year old twin girls to play here often.
"Just the view itself. I mean you're right here on the river and it's a nice place," said Timothy. They want it to stay that way but they're concerned.
"You don't want to know that it's happening in your community but we know that we have a problem here. We know a lot of places have problems so it's more disappointing than surprising," said Kimberly.
Kilroy joined forces with members of a social media site called "Taking Back Millville". They work to solve problems in their community.
"We have been coming out with Bob every Sunday at 10am and we are trying to approach the city about how to work with the Parks Department to organize cleanups and trying to work with Mayor and Public safety," said Donna Miles with Taking Back Millville.