Leading National Opioid Activist: Raimondo Should “Be Ashamed” for Taking Tainted Money

Two leading activists — who gained national attention when their protest involving an 800 pound heroin spoon outside OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma ended in an arrest this past summer — are calling out Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo for keeping nearly $12,500 in contributions from Purdue scion Jonathan Sackler and his wife Mary Corson for their role in the national opioid epidemic.

Artist Domenic Esposito and Stamford Gallery owner Fernando Luis Alvarez joined GoLocalProv News Editor Kate Nagle on GoLocal LIVE on Friday, to talk about their efforts to bring attention to the role that Purdue has played — as well as elected officials in taking contributions from top drug makers — in the hundreds of thousands of deaths in America tied to the drugs.

As GoLocal has reported, Raimondo — and Raimondo PACs — have received $8,000 from Sackler and $4,500 from Corson — and refuse to return the money.

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READ: Raimondo's Opioid Link: Family That Build an "Empire of Pain" is Major Donor

“So it’s okay to take money from them but not from Pablo Escobar or El Chapo in Mexico? It’s the same thing — it’s probably worse, because they have sugar coated it,” said Alvarez. “Have they become so cynical and weak to the point where some Americans have become complacent to this?”

“The time has come…Americans are not going to put up with this anymore. They’re going to stand up to these politicians, and they’re going to do their own research. Absolutely don’t vote for people like that — do your homework,” said Alvarez. “Do not for for her. Get her out of office. We need better answers than what she’s telling us.”

“Americans are not stupid. We are fed up. Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people have died because of this,” said Alvarez.

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” said Alvarez, of Raimondo.

Raimondo's campaign has repeatedly refused to return the donations from the Sacklers. And, her campaign refused to answer questions about the moral implications of her accepting the donations from the makers of "heroine in a pill" -- the Sacklers. "The Governor answers to Rhode Islanders, and her record speaks for itself. Under Governor Raimondo's leadership, Rhode Island has earned recognition as a national model for fighting the overdose and addiction crisis," said Raimondo's campaign in an email to GoLocal on Friday.

Rhode Island Governor Lt. Governor Dan McKee, who received thousands in donations from Sackler and Corson, recently donated the contributions to drug treatment programs in Rhode Island, according to campaign spokesperson Mike Trainor.

While Raimondo continues to refuse to return the Sackler donations, the State of Rhode Island is suing the Sackler's company -- Purdue.

Rhode Island’s suit alleges in part in a 108-page filing, “In 2015, Purdue reaped an estimated $2.4 billion in revenue, virtually all of it from opioids. Since its launch in 1996, OxyContin alone has generated $35 billion in sales.”

“Within Rhode Island, the age-adjusted overdose rate in 2015 of 28.2 per 100,000 people ranks fifth in the nation. From 2014-2015, Rhode Island experienced a 24% one-year change in overdose deaths, the third highest change in America. The rate of deaths from synthetic opioids like fentanyl ranked third in the nation in 2015. From 2011 to 2016, as well, Rhode Island saw a 303% increase in overdose fatalities,” claims the lawsuit.

Raimondo refuses to answer questions if there are any donors that she would not accept campaign funds for ethical and moral reasons. Raimondo has had fundraisers hosted by tobacco company CEOs and taken donations from an NRA lobbyist.

Public Art — and Protest

As the New York Times reported in June, “ Large-Scale Art Protest Outside OxyContin Maker Ends in Arrest .”

“Over the past year, increasing attention has been directed at Purdue and the members of the Sackler family who owned and ran the company while it aggressively marketed OxyContin as a painkiller that was less prone to abuse than other drugs. In 2007, the parent company of Purdue pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge of misbranding OxyContin with the intent to defraud or mislead.”

On Friday, Esposito talked on LIVE to his idea to fashion the ten-foot heroin spoon — and how addiction nearly tore apart his family, when his mother would call him in tears, when she kept finding heroin spoons of his brother’s around this house.

"From our standpoint, we'd love to see politicians really put their money where their mouth is. We really want to end this epidemic. We're talking about 300,000 lives lost. 20 million addicted. Our whole message is about accountability and the right kind of accountability,” said Esposito.

“It's going to start with our Senators, our Governors, our AGs. A lot of them are doing the right thing -- they're suing Purdue Pharma -- but it's not enough. We know these guys need to go to jail. And Senators and politicians who have taken money, be on the lookout -- this is going to be the next big election issue,” said Esposito. “Taking money from criminals like this -- it's going to come out."

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Alvarez had even harsher words for politicians — including Raimondo.

"It's a conflict of interest, the epitome of cynicism, when politicians take money and they turn around -- they're literally talking to you, and the crowd in front of you, to serve you as their duty is, and they're taking money in their back pocket from corporations. It's absolutely a conflict of interest," said Alvarez.

"Of cours,e they're going to have to fight it -- but ask her. Ask her when you interview her next if you believe these people should go to jail. What is she doing to hold these people accountable and put them behind bars? Tell them about what we're doing. I'd love to go on a debate with her if I have to. It's the epitome of cynicism. They're standing in front of the American people and telling them they're a bunch of idiots. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people are dying," he added.

Editor's note: A previous version identified the gallery as in Hartford; it is in Stamford.

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