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“I feel that (the police will) find a way to incriminate you, if they can, because they want to meet their quota,” said Larissa, who visited the Overdose Prevention Society at 58 East Hastings St. on Saturday.

Larissa, who asked that her last name not be printed, said people who use drugs can feel dehumanized by police, and uniformed officers standing outside an injection site will make them feel unwelcome. She worries her friends may instead use alone, use dirty needles or get robbed while hiding in alleyways.

“I think that it will make a lot of people stop coming,” she said. “They could just be out in the alley, dropping.”

Joy, an Overdose Prevention Society volunteer in recovery, who also asked that her last name not be printed, said there’s been a marked decrease in visits since the police crackdown.

She said most visitors know police “are here to do their job” but at the same time worry they may get nabbed for possession. When police round the corner to the alleyway behind the OPS, drug users shout “Six up!” and scatter into the shadows, she said.

“They just want to be somewhere where it’s comfortable,” she said. “As long as the police aren’t harassing them, nobody really says much of anything.”

Deputy Chief Howard Chow said the increased police activity in the Downtown Eastside will continue. But Chow said beat officers remain focused on “predators that exploit drug addicts.” He said police policy is to crack down on organized crime, not pick up people with addictions on minor possession charges.