New US Attorney talks opioid crisis, crime, gangs

Image 1 of 4

New US Attorney for the eastern district Matthew Schneider is 44 and from Michigan.

He has a long list of issues he spoke to FOX 2 about tackling - including something some landlords are doing in Michigan that he is watching closely.  

"People want to get apartments but the landlord says they want sexual favors in exchange for your rent being reduced or for being able to live here," said Schneider. "It's really putting the victim in a terrible spot."

Schneider, the US attorney for the eastern district, sat down with FOX 2 with his list he's starting to tackle - violent crime, gangs and drugs are all on the list. We keep hearing about the opioid crisis. But where's the outrage?

"If a terrorist came into your town and shot 50 people to death people would go nuts," he said. "If 50 people in your town died of an opioid addiction some people may not even notice that -  and that's really a shame." 

A shame this country and our community can't seem to shake. New US Attorney Matthew Schneider passionately says more needs to be done.  Opioids are leading to heroin.

"We've created beautiful, young high school athletes who are dying of heroin overdoses," he said. "That's why we want to go into the schools and present them with the local partners. It's a program called Chasing the Dragon."

The video is being shown to students at schools across the state.  The hope is to stop kids in their tracks. The same students will be hearing from the US attorney's office about school threats. 
  
FOX 2: A bunch of old guys in suits showing up to teach these kids the right thing to do, how does that work?"

"Sure we'll tell them what the law is," Schneider said. "We told him with the punishments are. But we might have Bart Simpson telling them that. We have a couple illustrations in there from the Simpson's.  We've got some other ways we can approach the students."