RESIDENTS PROUD OF CRACKDOWN ON CRACK HOUSES

Point Douglas Community Takes Action

THE head of a Point Douglas community watch group is thrilled the
neighbourhood's work in shutting down crack houses is getting public
recognition, including from the mayor.

"There's a huge difference," said Point Douglas Residents' Committee
co-chair Sel Burrows, who said although the neighbourhood isn't quite
crack-free, "we're so close we can smell it."

Much of Mayor Sam Katz's State of the City address Friday focused on
strategies for fighting crime in Winnipeg, and included praise for
Point Douglas residents' efforts to force drug dealing out of the area.

Burrows said it wasn't long ago that gang members would gather in
front of crack houses, with dealers working the streets in broad
daylight. "Now it's the opposite," he said and the drug dealers are
the ones looking over their shoulder.

"This is way beyond what we expected," he said. "The sociological
impact on the community has been huge."

Burrows says the neighbourhood's success is due in large part to a
team of 37 area residents who act as community watchdogs. Their tips
on suspicious activity are collected, stripped of identifying
information and passed on to police.

The committee's efforts began last summer, and by October they'd
arranged a rally in Joe Zuken Park attended by police, politicians and
roughly 150 residents, as well as Blue Bomber Milt Stegall, to declare
they were taking back the neighbourhood.

Burrows, who sits on the city's new police advisory board, also cited
increased support from city police, and in particular new chief Keith
McCaskill.

He warned that closing down crack houses won't solve inner-city crime,
and said the committee is involved in pressuring the city to do more
for inner-city youth, including pushing for a boost in summer job
creation. They're also working with police and residents in William
Whyte to apply the same strategy to the North End neighbourhood, he
said.

Burrows said there are some concerns about personal safety, but said
the response from the area has been encouraging. "I've got a whole
bunch of individuals there who want to get doing it," he said.