PORTLAND — A 6-year-old boy’s mother says she was stunned and freaked out when she saw him pick up a used syringe in the shrubs at Keller Fountain Park in downtown Portland.
Emily Brent-Fulps told KATU he had pulled out the plunger before she told him to drop it, but he wasn’t poked. She says other children in the park Tuesday afternoon were barefoot and could easily have been stuck by the uncapped needle.
Portland Parks and Recreation spokesman Mark Ross says the incident is distressing but not surprising. He says park staffers frequently pick up needles left by drug users in city parks.
The city advises parents to talk to their kids about syringes and let them know to alert an adult.
