Mother recounts the pain of her loss as residents of Arnold and New Kensington hold anti-drug march, outdoor forum

Roxanne White, a mother from Arnold, has taken steps to ensure no other parent has to experience what she did on Mother’s Day.

In fact, she took many, many steps Saturday afternoon as she joined about 30 others in a March to Save Our Community effort up and down the main streets of Arnold and New Kensington.

It was to raise awareness about the dangers of illicit drugs and help prevent overdose deaths in both cities.

Tragic discovery

Glendon “Bubba” Starr, 37, was a Valley High School graduate who worked as a welder to support his family.

He had been battling drug addiction for many years and was two years sober before relapsing, according to his mother.

White found Starr dead on her kitchen floor May 12.

He had been drinking with folks in the North Hills area earlier.

White said his medical reports indicated alcohol mixed with fentanyl is what killed him.

“My doctors are telling me I’m still in shock, and every day is very trying,” White said. “I still wait for the phone to ring, for my son to call me every day like he normally does asking what we’re making for supper. He loved to cook. He’s a big boy, so he like eat as much as he liked to cook.

“He was very funny. Very loving and kind and he just had his addiction. It got him.”

White had been tending to his infant daughter, Amyah, shortly before making the tragic discovery.

“I don’t want anyone to have to go through this ever,” White said. “That’s why I’m here, and I don’t want people to remember my child other than what a great loving human being he was. I don’t want them to remember them as, ‘Oh. He just died of an overdose.’

“That’s not fair to my child, and that’s not fair to anyone else’s child either. You’ve got to remember that person as who they were. They’re people’s children. They’re people’s grandchildren. … Drugs do not pick and choose.”

Addressing a problem

Arnold Officer in Charge Rob Haus said there have been 30 overdoses in the city this year, including five fatalities.

There were five overdoses on Mother’s Day alone, including Starr’s.

Cheryl Banks, known around town as the “Mother of Arnold,” was the driving force behind Saturday’s march.

She talked about her neighbors and how some of her friends’ children had died as a result of using illicit drugs.

“Our community is dying,” Banks said. “These are, like, my people. These are, like, my kids. And I am watching the drugs take over my family. That’s sad. It’s taking control, and somebody has got to put a stop to it. My neighbor passed away earlier this year.

“Between the drugs, the violence behind the drugs — we’re just losing them. We (want to) make an impact. Let these people see there are other ways. Let’s make a difference.”

The march began at the 18th Street Ball Field and ended at Roosevelt Park.

It also served as a mock funeral procession complete with a wooden casket pushed on rollers surrounded by people carrying signs.

Signs’ messages included “Do Better — Our Children Are Watching,” “Please Don’t Die,” “Just Say No,” and “You Are Loved.”

Chants included “Say no to what? Drugs” and “We need hope — not dope.”

The message brought out many residents from their homes. Most gave supportive waves.

Arnold Mayor Shannon Santucci helped coordinate the route with the assistance of an Arnold officer in order to protect the pedestrians and minimize the impact on traffic.

Local organizers originally planned to go against traffic patterns with several marchers used as human shields against oncoming traffic if necessary.

The event was in partnership with Voice of Westmoreland, an organization dedicated to advocating for those living in Westmoreland County.

The group had done a survey over the summer in Arnold to gauge what residents wanted to see changed.

Organizer Mackenzie Fangman said there were 178 respondents and 25% of them indicated drugs and violence were major problems in the city.

Another 25% cited the need for more children’s activities in town.

“We wanted to get as many people to talk to us as possible to get a really good idea of what people are seeing in their community and where people’s concerns were,” Fangman said. “We have a mini chapter here, Arnold Community United. We have a lot of members here and we have a lot of people who are very concerned about their community. That’s what we’re all about. We’re about bringing together a community and solving issues together.”

Saturday’s program continued in the park with food vendors and multiple speakers.

There was a makeshift memorial wall on one of the park fence. People posted pictures of those who died of overdoses within the last year or two.

Voice of Westmoreland members provided information about resources available to families and how folks could get involved in their community.

Chapter director Rose Piern said Banks came up with the march idea during one of their meetings, and they were proud to be a part of it.

“We’re a community grassroots organization and we believe that everybody deserves a decent life, and we’re here to help people figure out what that is for themselves and help them figure out ways to do that,” Piern said.

“I think that any amount of people that come out to learn more about what’s happening in Arnold is a great thing. We also have a bunch of resources here. We’re hoping people will take those.”

Arnold Councilman Aaron Moore was among the local leaders marching.

“I think it’s much needed,” Moore said. “We need to bring recognition to the drug activity and also to those who have lost loved ones to this drug epidemic. Just having people out, seeing us out spreading awareness is just the first step. There has to be follow up. There has to be something next.”

He commended the efforts of Arnold Community United and cited the need to address homelessness and related issues.

“We need to bring awareness to a multitude of things here in Arnold,” Moore said.

White believes events like the march and knowing there are folks who want to better the community helps with the grieving process.

“It takes all of us to watch everybody’s child and to help them. It doesn’t matter whose child it is,” White said.