FEW CITY LEADERS TAKE ACTIVE ROLE IN FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

It was one month ago today that four teenagers were shot to death in
Huntington.

Michael Dillon, 17, and Dont Ward, 19, both of Huntington; Megan Poston,
16, of Barboursville, and Eddrick Clark, 18, of South Point, Ohio, were
gunned down shortly before dawn on May 22 in the 1400 block of Charleston
Avenue.

This hasn't been one of those crimes that is solved easily. As of Tuesday
afternoon, no one had been arrested and charged with the killings, although
police seem to have people they are keeping their eyes on.

Police believe Ward was the target of drug dealers from Detroit, but his
family and friends have said they do not understand why he would have been
targeted to die.

We're still waiting for city government to do something other than conduct
the criminal investigation. Searching for the guilty party or parties in
this case is the least government can do.

Apparently, the least is all we're getting.

What better time to announce the city will no longer tolerate such crimes?
That a crackdown on drug dealing is imminent? That more resources will be
devoted to an area that has seen five homicides in 13 months? That drug
dealers had better not flee to another neighborhood, because they will be
found there, too? That government will provide resources to help improve
neighborhoods and drive out undesirable elements?

Yes, there have been drug arrests. Until there are convictions, though, the
public will not be convinced.

In the past 31 days, City Hall has been eerily silent, as though this is
something it does not want to touch. We don't expect the mayor and the City
Council members to grab every microphone in sight, but we do expect them to
offer some plan of action. Other than one or two council members, they
won't even say they're thinking about the possibility of maybe considering
a plan.

Unlike our elected leaders, people in the community are taking action.
People have gathered at events to remember the four victims, and this week
a community meeting will provide information on how to tell if someone you
know is using drugs.

Things are being talked about behind the scenes, but that does not give the
public much hope that anything is being done, or will be done.

During last year's campaign, Mayor David Felinton downplayed Huntington's
crime problem, saying the city reflected a national trend. It's time for
the mayor to adjust his thinking. Crime is a problem. He can't convince a
majority of people that all is well in the fight against crime.

For years, Huntington has suffered from a leadership vacuum. We have had a
number of groups that focus on their narrow interests. Few have focused on
community-wide goals and brought them to pass.

Brandi Jacobs-Jones, who represents the council district where the
shootings happened, has stepped forward. She has shown the willingness and
the determination to make a positive change. Of our elected "leaders," she
seems to be the only one.

Other than the deaths of four teenagers, that is the real shame in this.