‘To love isn’t to destroy’

Recovery community comes together after shooting at Edgewater Narcotics Anonymous meeting in August

The morning after a killer wreaked havoc during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Edgewater, Karen Chrapek made a call.

The Volusia Recovery Alliance executive director reached out to Halifax Health Hospice to set up a “grief group” for anyone impacted by the terrifying night that Quinton Hunter,

49, charged into a Narcotics Anonymous meeting shot and killed Ian Greenfield,

59, and took Erica Hoffman,

33, Hunter’s ex-girlfriend who was dating Greenfield hostage, before killing her and himself.

Now, the local Narcotics Anonymous community, along with other recovery groups, are attempting to heal from the Aug. 8 incident and prevent any stigma from shrouding addiction rehabilitation.

“To love isn’t to destroy,” Chrapek said. “You don’t have to self-destruct even when you’re in a lot of pain.”

The Volusia Recovery Alliance and Halifax Health wanted to create a space for anyone impacted by the tragedy to mourn and “be embraced by love and compassion,” Chrapek said. They conducted the first meeting Aug. 10 and plan to host a another meeting in the future.

Similarly, Peer Support Space, a central Florida nonprofit that champions “diverse peer-led recovery,” held a virtual support group Aug. 12 and are offering up to five free therapy sessions for anyone impacted by the tragedy.

Yasmin Flasterstein, the executive director and one of the co-founders of Peer Support Space, said the event allowed participants to validate one another.

“For a lot of people I heard feelings of survivor’s guilt,” she said. “A lot of people just talking about, how do I get through today?”

Shame and distrust for traditional mental health resources and believing that others deserve resources more than they do can keep people from seeking the help and treatment they need, Flasterstein said.

“It’s important for people to not feed into the stigma that people in recovery are dangerous,” she said. “While this was something that was really ugly that occurred, there was an outpouring of love, and this community is really cared about.”

The day after the killings, the Florida Region of Narcotics released a statement describing the incident as “a horrific isolated event.”

“Such incidents are extremely rare at any of the more than 70,000 plus meetings that occur regularly around the world,” the statement said.

Crystal Hernandez, the founder and executive director for the Osceola Recovery Project and former state lead for the Recovery Advocacy Project, said Hunter would have sought out Greenfield and Hoffman anywhere.

“If he knew that, oh, they’re going to be stopping at Publix, it could have happened at Publix,” she said.

Hernandez, who also works as a peer support specialist for Inspire Counseling and Support Center, said some people she’s worked with who are beginning their recovery journey heard the news and are reconsidering whether to attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.

“All I can do is tell them from my experience, I have never had anything unsafe happen,” she said. “The world we’re living in today, unfortunately, we can’t guarantee safety.”

A 45-year-old attendee of Narcotics Anonymous meetings in Volusia County, who asked for anonymity because she feared losing her job if identified, said the tragedy in Edgewater is not an accurate representation of that organization or the recovery community.

“We all wish that this did not happen,” she said. “The whole world is literally on fire around us. It’s a very difficult time to get clean.”

She said Narcotics Anonymous meetings are filled with raw emotion and soul searching, and offer the fellowship that encourages people to continue pursuing recovery.

“I can’t even imagine, to feel like you’re not safe at the one place where you’re supposed to feel safe.”

— Attendee of Volusia County Narcotics Anonymous meetings

“For anybody to feel like they’re not safe at a meeting is just atrocious,” she said. “I can’t even imagine, to feel like you’re not safe at the one place where you’re supposed to feel safe.”

This tragedy cannot be allowed to redefine gatherings meant to help people rebuild their lives, she said.

“This is a program of the most beautiful people,” she said. “Please, please, please do not fear coming to us to change because we are here for you.”