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SELMA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fentanyl situation successful Selma. Following respective caller Fentanyl overdose deaths successful the city, assemblage members and metropolis leaders came unneurotic Friday for a rally to radiance a airy connected what they are calling a increasing epidemic.
"To maine Selma is simply a peaceful tiny municipality truthful erstwhile thing similar this does hap it does bring a batch of attention," says Valerie Reina, Selma Organizer.
Just past month, astatine lone 15-years-old, Jeremiah Padilla overdosed connected Fentanyl. His parents acceptable up a banner of their precocious lad astatine the rally with a anticipation to nonstop a almighty message.
"It's successful our city. It's connected our block. It's successful our beforehand yard. And, unluckily for us, it's successful our house. It hits location literally," says Fabian Padilla, Jeremiah's father.
A loving kid, Jerimiah loved to spell retired to devour and play with his siblings. A nightmare his ma Brittney says could've been prevented, she says knew her lad had an addiction, tried to get help, but was failed by the system.
"We shouldn't beryllium acrophobic to say, hey look we request help. Hey, look my kid is struggling. I'm struggling. We request help. Resources shouldn't beryllium that hard. That was thing we found. We were going successful circles. You telephone this number, good they transferred to the adjacent person, good to the adjacent person, and I got to the constituent wherever we were realizing successful bid to get him wellness treatment, we were going to person to take betwixt paying our owe oregon treating our lad due to the fact that it's truthful costly and truthful limited," says Brittney Padilla, Jeremiah's Mother.
Jerimah's decease comes aft the decease of Emily Santos, who besides overdosed connected fentanyl astatine lone 19-years-old past summer. A communicative her person Valerie Reina, who organized the rally, says was pushed aside.
"She was conscionable starting her life. She didn't get the accidental to person a career, worldly similar that takes a toll connected you," says Reina.
Last twelvemonth alone, Fresno County saw 80 fentanyl overdose deaths, and 2 truthful acold this twelvemonth arsenic of precocious February.
Too galore for vale outreach radical P.A.I.N. oregon Parents and Addicts successful Need. Group founder, and erstwhile addict, Flindt Anderson says arsenic a assemblage we can't fto the taxable permission the conversation.
"Fentanyl is present it's present to stay. It's not going anywhere. It has perfectly nary boundaries. I don't attraction wherever you travel from what your religion is oregon color. This cause is an epidemic," says Flindt Anderson, P.A.I.N Founder and President.
Though rocked by these tragedies, the municipality of lone 25 1000 is utilizing the symptom to substance a movement.
"We are tiny capable arsenic a metropolis to beryllium a large family, truthful erstwhile you suffer a subordinate of your family, it hurts it's idiosyncratic and it's achy and we conscionable cognize that we tin forestall this successful the future," says Mayor Scott Robertson, City of Selma.
In airy of this demonstration, the politician and members of the metropolis assembly program to signifier assemblage municipality hallway meetings and invited acrophobic residents to be the adjacent assembly gathering to rise their concerns.
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