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Unprecedented Television Event
to Fight Meth Abuse Announced
An historic community-wide campaign centered on a gripping television program called “Crystal Darkness.” The event will take place Thursday, April 10, 2007 at 6:30 p.m.
The station managers from KDBC (Channel 4) , KTSM (Channel 9-2 , cable 366), KCOS TV (Channel 13) , KFOX (Channel 14), KSCE TV (Channel 38) and T48 KTDO Telemundo (Channel 48) are very generously donating airtime to broadcast the Crystal Darkness documentary at 6:30pm. The program will air in a partial roadblock, which means that Crystal Darkness will be aired simultaneously on all participating stations.
This awareness campaign is focused on:
· Raising a wall of protection around our region from the evils caused by Crystal Meth by including all segments of our community including our Families, Schools, Faith Community, Marketplace, Government, Law Enforcement, Military and Health Care to jointly take a stand to educate and protect our loved ones and those in our sphere of influence.
· Offering tangible hope and help to those who are caught in a hopeless condition by means of a coalition of local Recovery and Health Care.
· Reaching out to all through Schools, Faith Based, Businesses, etc. Town Hall meetings where information and encouragement can be offered to those attending to prevent our neighborhoods from being infiltrated.
The El Paso Campaign will be unique in that it will be aired in partnership with Ciudad Juarez and the entire State of New Mexico on the same day both in English and Spanish as part of the first international effort.
Mayors John Cook from El Paso, Texas, Mayor Andres Silva from Deming, N.M., Mayor Ken Miyagishima from Las Cruces, N.M. and Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico have jointly endorsed this unprecedented community initiative. Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca, Chief of Police Greg Allen, D.A. Jaime Esparza, Special Agent John Riley in charge of the regions D.E.A. and County Commissioner Daniel Haggerty are among the many Law enforcement and Government officials who have endorsed and are helping with the campaign.
The Education entities from Grade Schools to UTEP have joined the movement and are training facilitators to Host Town Hall meetings. The faith based community is also a strong partner in the grassroots campaign to publicize the program, Host Town Hall meetings and direct people to treatment and services including those involved in Celebrate Recovery programs.
Many live broadcast viewing sites are being set up across the community where the public can go to watch the program as it airs and receive more detailed information. This is a new approach to solving the meth problem—one that is not only proven, but is being replicated across the nation.
Nationwide this drug is destroying lives. Law enforcement officials estimate that over 70% of all property and auto burglary crimes are committed by meth addicts. Over 75% of all identity theft crimes are committed by meth addicts. It’s been estimated that it costs over $100,000 to arrest, prosecute and rehabilitate just one meth addict. This is a unique opportunity for the community to prevent our region from being infiltrated and PRO ACTIVELY protect our families.
Crystal Darkness is a nation-wide, state by state, multi-media grassroots non- profit campaign to educate young people and parents about the dangers of crystal methamphetamine. The Telly award winning documentary, “Crystal Darkness,” will be customized for El Paso and broadcast on nearly every station in the community.
The campaign was launched last year in Northern Nevada, and when the program aired on January 9th, 2007, it was believed to be the most watched program of all time in that area. It aired in May in Southern Nevada, across the entire state of Oregon in October and in San Diego in December. The campaign is being organized in many cities and states across the United States including Arizona, Oklahoma, Alabama, North Carolina, Sacramento and Los Angeles.
In Portland and Las Vegas, Crystal Darkness received a 50 share, which means that over 50% of the homes with televisions in those markets watched the program. These ratings are comparable to Super Bowl viewership.
During, and after the airing of “Crystal Darkness,” a meth hotline will be manned by certified treatment professionals who will provide advice, follow-up suggestions, and treatment referrals. Various local healthcare and recovery organizations have made available beds and facilities to help those in need.
For more information you can contact Donna McGrath at (915) 591- 0193