Impact of ecstasy death of Irma Perez, 14, begins to sink in
May 20/2004
Belmont parents gathered Wednesday, nearly a month after a 14-year- old girl died from ingesting ecstasy, to hear public safety officials talk about the realities of drug and alcohol abuse.
They heard about how some local youths had broken into homes to steal prescription drugs, which were blended into intoxicating cocktails.
They heard stories about children raiding their parent's medicine cabinets and selling old painkillers to raise cash for drug purchases.
About 200 parents attended the sobering presentation at Carlmont High School. It was organized by officials from the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District and the Belmont Police Department in response to the ecstasy death of Ralston Middle School student eighth-grader Irma Perez.
Irma overdosed on ecstasy, also known as MDMA, during a sleepover at a friend's Belmont house on April 23. She was discovered in a coma the next morning and died on April 28 after she was taken off of life support at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto.
"It's very unfortunate we had a tragedy like this,'' said Trisha Sanchez, commander of the San Mateo County narcotics task force. "But maybe we can look back and learn from this.''
The parents heard from members of the task force who talked about new drug trends, paraphernalia, risks and ways of talking about drug use with their children. Police brought photographs of overdose victims.
School district officials hoped the message would help parents find an opportunity to talk to their children about drugs and alcohol.
Belmont Safe Schools, a cooperative effort between the Police Department and local schools, organized two similar education meetings last month but both attracted no more than 50 parents.
"Use this as a teaching moment, a learning opportunity for all of us," said Superintendent John McIntosh on Wednesday night. "This is a community problem. It's a community issue. We need to work together to solve it."
Parents at the meeting appeared eager to do their part. The community's anti-drug efforts took on a new significance in light of Irma's death, they said.
"If you said an eighth-grader would take drugs and die in a Belmont house, there would have been a lot of skepticism before,'' said Liz Schultz, a 32- year-old Belmont mother. "But now we realize it can happen to our kids. Our family decided that we had to be here to get as much information as possible.''
Marcy Burrell, 40, a mother of three, said Irma's death exposed some naivete among Belmont school officials and parents who didn't realize how much needed to be done to combat local drug use.
"This was definitely a wake-up call,'' she said. "I don't think Belmont was prepared for this to this extent. The officials at the schools knew there was some usage, but in hindsight, there wasn't enough programs for the children.''
Kim Nixon, a 45-year-old father of 11-year-old triplets, said parents need to focus on communicating effectively with their children.
"We need to create an atmosphere where they feel open to talk to us,'' he said. "As kids get older, they want their independence, but you need to create an environment where you can still talk."
The San Mateo County coroner's office has charged 20-year-old Antonio Rivera of Belmont with furnishing drugs to minors and being in possession of drugs for sale in connection with Irma Perez's death. Rivera pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
Two of Irma's 14-year-old friends at the sleepover -- and a 17-year-old Belmont boy who allegedly helped supply the drugs -- have been charged with felony child endangerment, possession and furnishing of a controlled substance.
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