TAKING BACK OUR STREETS

Area Residents Say They Must Lead Local Fight Against Crime

HUNTINGTON -- Two weeks ago, more than 1,000 people gathered to mourn the
loss of four local teenagers who were shot and killed in the front lawn of
a home on Charleston Avenue.

As they held candles that represented the lives of Donte Ward, Eddrick
Clark, Megan Poston and Michael Dillon, they asked questions for which
there were few answers at the time.

Why were four teens who had so much potential gunned down? And what could
residents do to end the violence that police believe is tied to the influx
of crack cocaine dealers from Detroit?

While law enforcement officials are still searching for clues that will
lead them to solving Huntington's worst violent crime in recent memory,
many residents say they are ready to take back their streets.

Making that happen is more complex than voicing it. But if anything good
has come out of this tragedy, it's that residents are more aware of the
crime problem that has invaded the city, Fairfield West resident Damon Core
said.

"The people of Huntington can't continue to turn a blind eye to what is
going on," Core said. "We should think long and hard about this incident.
It should anger us, but we have to channel that anger into something positive."

Core, 39, who lived above Ward on Charleston Avenue, said that eradicating
crime from Fairfield West and other areas of the city is easier if
neighbors get to know one another.

"I can remember a time as a kid when my neighbors would call my mom
whenever they saw me doing something wrong or hanging around the wrong
crowd," Core said. "It'snot like that anymore. People go into their homes,
shut their doors, and that's the end of it."

Core said neighbors should form block clubs and designate a block captain
to gather notes on suspicious activity in the area and relay them to
police. Core also envisions the clubs closing down their street once a
month for parties or cleanups. Such public activities show outsiders that
the community is unified, he said.

"I know there's people who are scared about speaking up. My point is that
we don't have room to be scared anymore," Core said. "The police need our
help, and it's our duty to help them."

Capt. Steve Hall of the Huntington Police Department's detective bureau
said the public has been cooperative and forthcoming with information
related to the shootings.

"I can't overstate how critical community involvement is on any case,
particularly one of this magnitude," Hall said. "There's approximately
50,000 people in this town, and we only have 84 cops."

Hall said a neighborhood's best defense against crime are the eyes and ears
of the people who live there. Because some residents are afraid to report
suspicious activity, the Police Department set up an anonymous tip line two
years ago.

"If we get a tip from someone saying they know a guy who's dealing dope
down the street, that doesn't give us a lot to work with other than being
aware of it," Hall said. "The more specific people are, the better."

Hall said residents should take detailed notes of suspicious activity in
their neighborhood without exposing themselves to danger. Information such
as addresses, vehicle models, license plates, physical descriptions and
names of suspects is always helpful, he said.

"The more information we get on a location, the more likely that it will be
placed higher on our priority list," he said.

Building trust with police

Though most Fairfield West residents have praised the Huntington Police
Department for their work on the quadruple homicide investigation, the
community still has issues with the department that need to be resolved,
said Brandee McCoy, who lives in the 900 block of 19th Street.

McCoy said officers historically have been slow to respond to calls in
Fairfield West. Many times, those calls even have gone unanswered, she said.

Furthermore, people in the community are hesitant to relay information
about suspicious activity to police, because they have broken
confidentiality agreements in the past, she said.

McCoy said it is not her intention to create a division between Fairfield
West and the Police Department. Rather, she said she wants both sides to
openly discuss their problems and work together.

"Now is not the time to point fingers at the Police Department," McCoy
said. "As long as they continue to show themselves in a positive light, our
confidence and trust in them will continue to build."

Other than a crime scene, McCoy said Fairfield West residents rarely have
personal contact with police. The exception came two weeks ago when several
HPD officers and other law enforcement agencies attended the candlelight
vigil on Charleston Avenue for the shooting victims.

"Their participation at that vigil meant a lot to the community, and we
want to see more of that," McCoy said. "We see them patrolling our streets,
but there needs to be more personal interaction. The simple wave of a hand
from a police car would go a long way."

Hall said the Police Department is making every effort to have more
interaction with the community. But when officers respond to a call and
have three more waiting, there is little time for small talk, he said.

"I've always encouraged my guys to treat individuals throughout this
community as they would their own family, and that is with respect and
compassion," he said. "If people sometimes get the impression that they are
detached from the community, it's because they are so busy."

Citywide effort is needed

If Huntington has any chance of uprooting drugs and crime from its
communities, it will have to employ new tactics and a small army of
dedicated residents, City Councilwoman Brandi Jacobs-Jones said.

Jacobs-Jones represents District 5, which includes Fairfield West and parts
of Fairfield East and the Southside. She said she is amazed at the number
of calls she has received from people across the region who want to get
involved.

"I expected there to be a lot of calls for action from people in Fairfield
West, but to see interest outside of Fairfield West and the city is what is
really encouraging," Jacobs-Jones said. "Once we get things rolling, I
think we will see a great grassroots effort mobilized."

Erasing crime from neighborhoods is not just a law enforcement issue,
Jacobs-Jones said. It's also about instilling pride in residents, showing
young adults that there are alternatives to selling drugs and providing
treatment to people who have substance abuse problems, she said.

The councilwoman's first course of action is to conduct a forum that will
give residents warning signs that their family or friends might be using or
selling drugs and of suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. The forum
is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. June 23 at the A.D. Lewis Community Center.

Jacobs-Jones said she also wants to establish a mentoring program for teens
who would spend time with small-business owners in the community. And for
residents who want to help law enforcement agencies, the councilwoman said
she is researching a national volunteer program called Volunteers in Police
Service, or VIPS. Law enforcement agencies that use the program train
residents to perform administrative functions, serve as traffic control
officers at accidents or large events and patrol streets, among other things.

Jacobs-Jones has been at the forefront of crime-prevention activity since
the shootings on May 22. Southside resident Laura Anderson said the
councilwoman should be commended for her efforts. But the perceived lack of
participation and silence from other council members and Mayor David
Felinton about crime shows an even greater need for residents to become
involved, Anderson said.

"It's been a slap in the face to not only the families of those children
who had such bright futures, but to the entire community," Anderson said of
the council and city administration. "But the community is partially
responsible for continuing to turn our heads."

Stacy McChesney, president of the Highlawn Neighborhood Association, said
the best way for residents to help is to report crimes or suspicious
activity whenever possible. In the next few days, the association will be
distributing leaflets to Highlawn residents that offer tips on how to
report crimes, she said.

"We need to be more active with our property, our neighbors and reporting
crimes," McChesney said. "Those three things can help curb crime in any
neighborhood."

And if there are any residents who say their neighborhoods won't be
affected by crime, they should think about the layout of the city, Enslow
Park resident Keith King said.

King said he feels safe in Enslow Park, a quiet residential area that has
dealt more with flooding from Fourpole Creek than crime. The neighborhood
also is less than a mile away from where the May 22 shootings occurred.

"Huntington is a place where, no matter where you live, a five-minute walk
can land you in a bad part of town," King said. "We need to be aware the
crime can come into any community."