The Blade
TOLEDO, Ohio — The images put viewers face to face with drug overdoses.
Two people slumped over in a car, unresponsive with needles nearby. A video taken in West Toledo is making the rounds on social media this week, renewing the discussion about the region’s heroin epidemic and the community’s response.
It’s part of a growing trend of viral photographs and videos showing people who have overdosed. The images have prompted a fierce debate on social media about the ethics of such videos and whether the impossible-to-ignore, graphic nature of them helps or hurts the effort to curb the heroin epidemic.
This time the video was shot at the parking lot of the Big Boy restaurant near the corner of Lewis Avenue and Alexis Road in West Toledo.
Tyler Rieger, 25, recorded the 18-second video Monday before the two were revived by naloxone. “You see those needles, you see what heroin does to you?” he asks into the camera during the expletive-laced clip. It has been viewed more than 280,000 times and has generated hundreds of comments, ranging from outrage at the man for posting it to those saying it needs to be shown. Some comments criticized the poster for recording rather than calling 911 or attempting to administer care, although he later said several people had already alerted authorities.
He said he saw their vehicle drifting diagonally before jumping the curb and entering the Big Boy parking lot. At first he thought the driver had a heart attack, stroke, or fell asleep at the wheel. When he checked on them, he said he saw needles.
Video wasn’t to shame
Mr. Rieger, of Toledo, said he never imagined the video would reach the level of notoriety that it did and was unaware that similar photos and videos had gone viral in other parts of the country.
“I took the video because I wanted to show a couple people — not a quarter-million people — wow, this is what people are doing in our community in broad daylight and show the power of heroin,” he said.
“A lot of friends I grew up with did it, I’ve lost friends to heroin,” he said. “I had no intentions of making these people embarrassed; everybody has a heart.”
Taylor Swartzlander, 24, of Defiance, and Haley Kirkendall, 22, of Napoleon, were revived with naloxone, taken to a local hospital, and later released.
Mr. Swartzlander, in a message Wednesday, said he is sorry for any trouble he caused and hopes the video helps bring attention to the severity of the addiction epidemic.
“I’m grateful I’m still alive for my family,” he wrote. “Although some comments are cruel and poorly thought out, some are good and shows that there is a lot of support out here to fight drugs.”
He said he wants to get clean and seek treatment.
The two were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Mr. Swartzlander was also charged with reckless operation and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He declined further comment on advice of his attorney until his legal proceedings are done.
The Toledo example is far from the first video to catch broad attention. In September, police in East Liverpool, Ohio, posted a photograph of two people who had overdosed in a vehicle while a young boy sat in the back seat behind them. The department faced intense backlash from some members of the community, including the boy’s family, although officers defended the decision.
Comments range
“We are well aware that some may be offended by these images and for that we are truly sorry, but it is time that the nondrug-using public sees what we are now dealing with on a daily basis,” the department wrote.
For those who have a child or other loved one caught in addiction, those images can be traumatic.
“I’m sickened by it,” wrote Lisa Janowicz in a message. “It seems as though videoing overdoses have become other people’s source of entertainment and a place for others to fuel their negative and hateful comments. Why do people feel the need to video it and publicly shame and humiliate dying people? The addicts have families and some have children. I wouldn’t want a video of my dying son posted on the Internet for other people to be entertained.”
Judi Thomas, of Walbridge, has a son in recovery and a grandson who is still using heroin. She said it probably won’t do much to scare an addict into not using again. Although the video is tough to watch, she said it might be “the awakening factor” for those who are still unaware of the epidemic’s scope. As a parent, she said, it hits close to home.
“Alexis and Lewis,” she said. “Your first thought is, is it someone we know? Is it one of my kid’s friends?”
Lt. Robert Chromik, who heads up the Lucas County Sheriff’s Drug Abuse Response Team, said his group won’t be posting the Toledo video or anything similar on its public pages.
“As law enforcement officers we shouldn’t be sensationalizing victims, even if you’re a victim of your own circumstance,” he said. “That’s someone’s son or daughter, mom or dad.”
How to help
Outside of the right or wrong of posting such videos, Lieutenant Chromik said it’s most important to call 911 and get the person help. While the videos can be a wake-up call for those unfamiliar with heroin’s scourge, he said it often devolves into nasty comments from those unfamiliar with addiction.
“I think it creates an open forum for people who are not educated to vilify these people,” he said. He encourages sharing educational material and resources for people looking to get treatment and support for their families.
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