Walk started in central WA, will cross I-90 bridge this Sunday
July 19, 2024 – Dr Raul Garcia, candidate for U.S. Senate, will complete his six-day “Freedom From Fentanyl Walk” this Sunday, July 21, with a walk across the I-90 bridge and a gathering and media availability at the East Portal Viewpoint in Seattle at 2pm.
For the final leg of the walk across the I-90 bridge, people will gather at the Lid Park on Mercer Island at 12:45pm July 21 to join the walk, and set off for Seattle at 1pm.
Joining Garcia on the walk are former addicts, people who have lost loved ones to fentanyl, advocates and public officials.
Garcia decided on the July 16-21 walk to elevate the issue of fentanyl, a drug that is killing thousands of Washingtonians and tens of thousands of Americans. Garcia has made the fentanyl crisis the center of his campaign. An Emergency Room doctor, Garcia sees two to five fentanyl overdoses per shift. One of his sons nearly died from fentanyl addiction.
Garcia is proposing the Americans Against Fentanyl Act, which includes mandatory felony charges and substantial prison time for serious fentanyl dealers, and allowing for and redirecting federal funding towards involuntary treatment and recovery programs for fentanyl addicts.
“Our mission is to unite eastern and western Washington in the fight against fentanyl, to honor all those who have died senselessly, and to let the people of Washington know we have the power to overcome this terrible drug and save lives,” said Garcia.
He noted that fentanyl is “the worst killer I’ve seen in 26 years,” adding that the federal government’s response to the crisis has been “completely inadequate.”
Details on the walk route are at fentanylwalk.com, which redirects to Garcia’s website at garciaforwa.com/fentanyl-walk/
Members of the media are welcome to cover the final leg of the walk starting on Mercer Island, and/or the end-of-walk event in Seattle.
FINAL LEG OF FREEDOM FROM FENTANYL WALK – MERCER ISLAND:
Sunday, July 21
12:45PM: Meet at the Lid Park, 2223 W Mercer Way, Mercer Island WA 98040
1PM: Start final leg of walk across I-90 bridge to Seattle
END OF WALK GATHERING & MEDIA AVAILABILITY – SEATTLE
Sunday, July 21
2PM: East Portal Viewpoint, 1400 Lake Washington Blvd S, Seattle WA 98144
Speaking at the end-of-walk event will be Garcia, Ginny Burton, Laura Lynch and Art Dahlen.
Ginny Burton, a former meth and heroin addict and now leader in the reentry and social service field, has been walking with Garcia since July 17.
“I am walking across the state with Dr Raul Garcia, ER doctor and candidate for U.S. Senate, to shine a light on the fentanyl war that’s unleashed on citizens here in the U.S.,” said Burton. “As the media focuses on other countries, we ignore the fentanyl war going on right here on U.S. soil. Every step I take represents a life lost too soon to this war.”
Laura Lynch lost her 18-year-old daughter Brillion to fentanyl poisoning. She is now an advocate and has been featured in local media (including here and here). She will join the walk July 21.
“I am walking to honor my daughter Brillion who died at age 18 to fentanyl poisoning,” said Lynch. “More than twice as many U.S. citizens from all walks of life die from fentanyl poisoning than from gun violence each year, yet it gets very little acknowledgment. Our current elected officials in Washington don’t seem to care about really doing anything significant about this. Murderers go free every day only to keep selling this deadly drug to innocent people and destroying families. Any opportunity I can get to spread the word on this crisis of epic proportions is an opportunity to possibly save a family from the hell we’ve somehow endured.”
Art Dahlen runs Battlefield Addiction and Rebuild Recovery in Kent.
“Fentanyl use is a swift and certain death,” said Dahlen. “We must take drastic measures and handle anyone using fentanyl with urgency. Mandating treatment will save lives and be a necessary tool in handling this crisis.”