More photos below the article
POUGHKEEPSIE – The vacant lot next to Kennedy Fried Chicken at 472 Main Street in Poughkeepsie has become a homeless camp where drug use is rampant, overdoses are common, and where a 55-year-old man was shot and killed on Saturday night. Makeshift tents and other forms of shelter are visible to the passing motorists and pedestrians along Main Street.
It is not uncommon to see prostitutes taking their clients to the back of the lot, which is secluded due to the high weeds and the grade of the parcel.
Across Main Street from the vacant property, dozens of people routinely sit on the sidewalk under the shade of the trees openly using drugs and consuming beer and liquor in plain view, while the sidewalk is nearly impassible.
Following Saturday night’s murder, police, fire, and EMS are still being sent to the area to deal with the drug use and vagrancy. On Tuesday morning, the Dutchess County Drug Task Force arrived at the location to arrest a violent felon from Newburgh who was selling fentanyl and cocaine in the area of Kennedy Fried Chicken and the makeshift camp.
Just over an hour later, City of Poughkeepsie Police, firefighters, and EMS were dispatched there for a man who was unconscious and unresponsive following an overdose. The first responders were able to revive the man with CPR and Narcan. When the man returned from the dead, he refused further medical treatment.
An hour after the man had been saved, a Mid-Hudson News reporter was in the area and took pictures. One of the pictures shows the revived man once again unconscious in a seated position, slumped against the fence. Less than 10 feet away, another man, standing in plain sight, was observed sticking a needle into his arm. Others were sitting around consuming beer.
Just a few hours later, police were called by a business owner across the street who complained of a crowd of 40 or more individuals sitting on the sidewalk in front of his business while drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking. The police moved the crowd away a few minutes later.
The area is represented by Sixth Ward Councilman Christopher Grant. At Tuesday night’s meeting, Grant responded to community outrage. “I can’t go to 472 Main and remove the people myself – if I could I would try,” he said. “We need help from the county – we need help from everybody,” adding “It’s not an overnight fix and it’s going to take a while.” The councilman also pointed out that a Main Street Task Force has been created to help address the issues plaguing areas of Main Street.
