NORTH ASHEVILLE RESIDENTS VOICE CONCERN ABOUT DRUG ACTIVITY TO CITY COUNCIL

ASHEVILLE - North Asheville residents told City Council on Tuesday that
they're gravely concerned about drug activity in their neighborhood.

Members of the Claxton Area Neighborhood Association often witness
drug activity around Claxton Elementary School and want the city to
permanently close known drug houses, resident Lawrence Bradshaw said.
The areas where most activity occurs are Annandale Avenue, Broad
Street and Hillside Street, he said.

Bradshaw also said, according to Asheville Police Department reports,
officers have been called to some homes in the area dozens of times
within the past five years.

"I have a child," he said. "A lot of us have children, and we don't go
out at night on those streets. They're closed off to us as far as
we're concerned."

City Council members and city staff met with about 35 residents
Tuesday during a community meeting at the North Asheville Community
Center. The city periodically hosts meetings in neighborhoods to hear
residents' concerns and answer questions.

Curbing drug activity was debated during budget talks this year. Last
week council adopted a budget that included $600,000 for the Safe
Neighborhoods Initiative, a program aimed at addressing the drug problem.

Police Chief Bill Hogan, who has been on the job since June 14, told
residents the Police Department is aware of the situation and is
working to address it. He also said police need continued help from
residents.

"It's critically important that citizens keep us apprised of what
they're observing," he said.

The Safe Neighborhoods Initiative includes $250,000 for five police
officers and equipment; $50,000 to expand community policing efforts,
$50,000 for a summer youth program; $50,000 for an educational
tutoring program; and $200,000 for affordable housing infrastructure.
Council members have agreed that drugs are a problem but during budget
talks disagreed on how much law enforcement was needed to resolve the
issue.

Vice Mayor Carl Mumpower said Bradshaw's comments pointed to a
systemic drug problem "right in north Asheville, where everybody
thinks everything is OK." Mumpower and Mayor Charles Worley said the
drug issue is affecting all parts of the city.

Worley encouraged residents not to be frustrated if they don't see
more arrests right away.

"The police can't arrest somebody without proof necessary to take them
to court, and that takes a lot of time to build up," he said.

Hogan said residents can help police build the evidence they need.

"The citizens see things on a daily basis that we don't see, and that
communication can help us build a case," he said.

Other topics residents brought up during Tuesday's meeting included
traffic volume on Merrimon Avenue and the Regional Water Authority's
budget.