Tulsa nonprofit holds rally to raise awareness about fentanyl and drug risks

A Tulsa nonprofit is holding a rally in front of the Tulsa County Courthouse to raise awareness about the dangers of illegal drugs and fentanyl poisoning.

Diane Searle and Rebekah Brown of Families Helping Families joined News On 6 at 4pm Wednesday to talk about the event.

Jonathan Cooper: Tell us how it started and what it is.

Diane Searle: Well, we are a family that supports families in this drug crisis in Oklahoma. And I started the group in 2018 after I lost my daughter Jillian, and I felt alone and there weren't many other parents that I thought were going through the same thing that I was. So I started my little group with five moms and five signs in front of the Tulsa County Courthouse. And unfortunately, today we are almost 400 members. Yes,

Jonathan Cooper: You mentioned that you don't want this group to grow. Rebecca, tell us how you came to get involved there and take on such a leadership role.

Rebecca Brown: I lost my son Cole on September 2nd, 2021. I was in a really bad way. He died from fentanyl poisoning. He took a Percocet that was laced with so much fentanyl that it would have basically taken the lives of three grown men. And I was in a really bad place, so I reached out to Diane and connected with her. I jumped in and went to my first dinner and met all the ladies and Diane and heard their stories, and I just had such a huge connection with them. I told Diane, you know, I need a job. I need to do something. I didn't feel like my son had died in vain, and I wanted people to be educated about it, because unfortunately in 2021, we just weren't talking much about fentanyl and the dangers of it. That's how I got into the group.

Jonathan Cooper: Tell us how important it is to have these events to talk about the things we do. So many stories about these fentanyl overdoses, and it seems like it's in everything.

Searle: It's in every drug. There's not a drug on the street anymore that doesn't have fentanyl in it. The problem is, if you don't know how much fentanyl you're getting in it, you have no idea when they're pressing pills or when they're slipping it into heroin or cocaine. So many families are affected by this now, everyone knows someone who has died from it and we want families to understand that and know that we're here for them. We've been through this. We know what's going on and we'll stand by them in any way we can and please don't ever think that you're alone in this fight because we're here for you.

Jonathan Cooper: Tell us about this event tomorrow (Thursday) and how people watching now can also get involved.

Searle: This is our seventh annual court rally. We'll be at the Tulsa County District Court from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Our district attorney will be there, too. Deputies and elected officials will be there, too. The news media will be there. We'll be providing resources, too. We'll be handing out Narcan, and we think everyone should know how to use it. Narcan. It's just a common word right now that we need Narcan. Everyone needs to have it. We're here to answer questions. We're here to support you. We have a Facebook group, and you'll meet a lot of parents who are going through exactly what you're going through.