Thanks for using my photograph, @DCPolicyCenter, in this excellent analysis by Matt Pembleton (@mattpembleton).
The photo was taken during the annual celebration on U Street, the DC Funk Parade, in the Shaw Neighborhood.
The crisis will confront you, too
As I read the piece, I also remembered another experience in the Shaw neighborhood, on my walk to work, observing a man in full cardiac arrest, on the sidewalk, first responders on scene, matching the demographic described in the piece of those most impacted by the crisis:
OCME data shows that the vast majority of people who died from opioid-related overdoses in D.C. in 2017 were adults ages 40-69 (an older age range than national averages); almost 40 percent were adults in their fifties. Eighty one percent of people who died from opioids were black, and 74 percent were men. Many of these deaths are concentrated in the eastern half of the city—with 54 deaths in Ward 8, 37 in Ward 5, and 37 in Ward 7—reflecting D.C.’s well-established geography of inequality. Source: Confronting the opioid—and fentanyl—crisis in the District – D.C. Policy Center
If the individual I saw died, I may have witnessed one of the 22 deaths in DC’s Ward 6 in 2017.
This happened at 8:30 am in the morning, across the street from the home of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the father of black history. You can see the EMS vehicles on the left. Photo taken at a distance to respect privacy.
I ❤️ DC because I believe it is the learning lab for the nation. Thank you for the stories behind the photographs that help us understand what it looks like when everyone doesn’t have what they need.
Confronting the opioid—and fentanyl—crisis in the District – D.C. Policy Center
Source: Confronting the opioid—and fentanyl—crisis in the District – D.C. Policy Center