I hate to say it, but evil in Santa Fe has gained a foothold. At the risk of sounding like a weirdo, I believe that evil expresses itself through various real ways. I didn’t always think in this cosmic way; however, in the years of working within the substance abuse domain, I have seen real evil. Not evil in the church kind of way, but actual and primary evil. And, while I have learned to live with the stain evil has left upon my emotions, I cant erase it, nor do I always manage it well.

My unfortunate relationship with real evil began several years ago while I was working at an inpatient treatment facility. I learned in those days that heroin is the devil’s drug. Or was. I have subsequently learned that there is no worse substance on earth than crystal meth. And almost two (2) years ago, I saw, directly and firsthand, just how strong the association is between meth and primary evil. And I am now certain that heroin isn’t even close to being the Devil’s Drug.

In June of 2020, the City of Santa Fe (CoSF) assigned me to “assist” at what was then called the “Midtown Homeless Shelter.” By then, I had worked with meth users, but black tar heroin was the more pervasive and destructive substance and meth had yet to find its footing. However, the COSF felt that creating a place to shelter homeless people during the pandemic would limit COVID’s spread. Maybe the intention behind the creation of the shelter was good, but its reality was anything but good.

I witnessed horror that I have yet to shake. Evil ran rampant during my time there. Residents attacked me and others working the shelter at the time, both verbally and physically. My co-workers and I administered Narcan for fentanyl overdoses so often that we would often run out and need to make Narcan runs to Walgreens. But fentanyl use was nothing compared to the amount of crystal meth sold and used within the shelter.

Meth was so prevalent that when I’d administered an Addiction Severity Index, I would automatically list crystal meth addiction. Almost all the residents used, sold, or made crystal meth and those whose addiction to it was severe were not only dangerous, but they also carried a dark presence. What made it even worse was that these severe and dark cases were part of a network of street people. They spread the message that Santa Fe was meth-friendly. And word got out.

To add to the spread, the CoSF thought it would be a great idea to suspend enforcement of the camping in public spaces ordinance. This suspension created several encampments within city-owned spaces. The most nefarious space, though, where meth use and camping occur is at the Franklin Miles park in central Santa Fe. Within the last year, so far, people walking in the park have discovered two (2) dead bodies. There will be more.

I don’t have solutions to propose, just yet. I’m still trying to heal from my time at the shelter. I experienced evil in ways I didn’t know existed and it’s taking time to figure it all out. I will get passed it, at some point. But until then, I shudder when I see evil overtake my hometown. There’s a saying, “when you dance with the devil, the devil doesn’t change, the devil changes you” and I hope the saying is wrong. Both for me and for my beloved Santa Fe.