A naked man was spotted by a passerby in Victoria Park chanting toward the sky about Jesus as cars passed by. The entire incident was caught on video by Kurtis Schleicher, who posted it on his Facebook page.
Schleicher says he was out walking his dog Monday afternoon when he spotted the naked man, took out his phone, and captured the incident on video. In the past few months, numerous people in South Florida have exhibited bizarre behavior and admitted to having been high on a relatively new drug called flakka. Schleicher claims the man said that "flakka is not that bad" just before he began his incoherent rambling.
Schleicher said police had been notified of the naked man, but a Fort Lauderdale Police spokesperson said they received no calls reporting him and had not heard of the incident prior to speaking with New Times.
I just filmed this happening right in front of my apt complex!Drugs are bad!Cops have been called.Geeze! ***VIEWER DISCRETION***Side weiner***
Posted by Kurtis Mamon Schleicher on Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Flakka has been making headlines across the United States lately and has been most prevalent in Florida, specifically Broward County, where there has been a 45 percent increase in flakka cases over the past year. But the county has been proactive in trying to stay ahead of the substance some call the "$5 insanity drug."
Flakka, which police say is manufactured in China and shipped to the United States, reportedly gives users delusions and psychosis and makes them exceedingly aggressive. This has led to several strange incidents, such as when a Lake Worth man stripped naked, climbed on top of his apartment building with a handgun, and began to threaten to shoot himself and others. A Brevard County man who was found having sex with a tree was reportedly high on flakka. Police officers tasered him, but the man managed to pull the prongs off his body with his hands before punching one of the officers. In April, a man, high on flakka, was arrested for running naked in the streets. Another man, who cops say was smoking flakka, was arrested for threatening to cut his stepfather's head off.
Flakka's popularity has spread particularly into the urban areas, thanks to its being extremely inexpensive and extremely addictive.
According to Jim Hall, epidemiologist at the Center for Applied Research on Substance Use and Health Disparities at NOVA, a kilogram is worth $1,500 and can produce as many as 10,000 individual doses. Dealers have been known to sell 1/10th of a gram for just $4 or $5 on the street. And because it's cheap, the target customers are low-income neighborhoods.
"Low price is a key factor, and it's very potent," Hall told New Times in April. "People do enjoy the stimulant, euphoric effect at a relevant low dose."
