by Edgar Mendez / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Isaac Solis knows all too well how a pill bought on the street can lead to tragedy.
his They are Isaac Solis Jr.Known as “Bubba,” he died in 2019 after taking what he believed to be the prescription drug Percocet.
Instead, it’s a fake pill made with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can kill in trace amounts.
Since then, she has been on a mission to help others prevent the loss of loved ones through her “One Pill Kills” awareness campaign.
Her message is being amplified in time for national Fentanyl Awareness Day on April 29, through three billboards featuring her son. Billboards direct to residents 1pillkills.org Include website and social media pages and message: Together we save lives.
“It’s obviously about spreading awareness that even one pill can kill you, one line can kill you,” Solis said. “If a family sees this and reaches their loved one and a life can be saved, that’s our goal.”
Two billboards can be seen off Interstate 94 in Milwaukee near West Becher and South Fourth Streets, and the other is a north/south display at South 27th Street and West Morgan Avenue. The billboard near West Becher will be up for eight weeks and the one in West Morgan for four weeks.
Solis’ campaign has used several billboards over the years to raise community awareness about fentanyl.
The message on the first billboard, he said, was too offensive.
“Our grief was a little more raw at the time,” Solis said.
Another billboard shows photos of people who have died from fentanyl.
“Eight families put their angels there,” he said.
Overdose death drops
Fentanyl has fueled the opioid epidemic nationally and overdose deaths have increased.
The drug had a devastating impact on Milwaukee County, which experienced multiple years of record high drug overdose deaths in the 2010s and 2020s. This number rose to 674 in 2022 and 667 in 2023, Milwaukee County Overdose Dashboard. Most deaths occurred with fentanyl alone or in combination with other substances.
Since then, the number of fatal overdoses has decreased. Last year 387 people died, 236 of which involved fentanyl.
County Executive David Crowley credits the collaboration for increasing and decreasing funding for opioid prevention.
“Thanks to the investment of opioid settlement dollars, increased access to free harm reduction supplies and efforts to remove the stigma surrounding substance use disorders, fewer people are dying of overdoses, which means more opportunities for treatment, recovery and a path forward,” Crowley said in a statement.
Fentanyl is still a big problem
While Solis said the drop in fatal overdoses is great, it’s also worrisome.
“The problematic part is we don’t know how many people are addicted to fentanyl and use it every day,” he said. “There’s a lot of work to be done. The closer we can get to zero death, the better.”
He said fentanyl products continue to evolve and become more potent and can come in powder or liquid form and even vape.
“It could be hiding in something, but you don’t know what,” Solis said. “There’s always the threat of that happening with any drug.”
working together
Like Crowley, Solis credits the collaboration for progress in combating the opioid epidemic. He became a regular partner with Team HAVOC, a grassroots South Side group.
Team HAVOC founder Rafael Mercado said Solis’ story and “one pill kills” message is having an impact.
“He does a lot to bring awareness through billboards, social media and pop-ups,” Mercado said “He lost a son to it, so he knows firsthand the pain and suffering a family goes through and the impact addiction has on a family.”
Solis also partnered with Samad’s House, a Milwaukee-based sober living home and behavioral health clinic dedicated to supporting women. He said he is working with Tahira Malik, founder and chief operating officer of Samader House, to help organize a Walk for Lives event on July 11. Walk for Lives is a nationwide movement to raise awareness of those who have died from fentanyl.
Solis said he wants to do more, but knows an end to the fentanyl crisis won’t happen quickly.
“The problem didn’t happen overnight,” he said. “This will not be one group, not one solution. Together we will save lives.”
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported by a partnership between Catchlight Local And Report for America.
this Article appeared first Wisconsin Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
–
Previously published with wisconsinwatch.org Creative Commons License
***
Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All premium members can see A full list of benefits is here.
–
Photo credit: splash
