Taking a stand to fight heroin abuse: Regional symposium held at Marquette

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Taking a stand to fight heroin abuse. A regional symposium was held on Wednesday, June 4th at Marquette University.

It started early Wednesday morning.

The theme of the symposium was: "Heroin: Not on our watch - Protecting our communities."

There were well over a dozen speakers, including city leaders, members of law enforcement officials and the families who have seen the effects of heroin first-hand.

Common Council President Michael Murphy says the key to stopping heroin abuse is education.

"This epidemic that's striking our citizens, mainly our children, we feel it's so important that we're collaborative together. So the counties of Racine, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha, Milwaukee have put away their political differences and come together and say: this is a common thread to all of us. And we need to do more than we are currently doing," Murphy said.

Murphy says in the past 10 years, there's been a 600% increase in heroin deaths in the Milwaukee area.