NEW COUNCILWOMAN RALLIES COMMUNITY

Along with her dog "Tigger," Artisan Avenue resident Brandi Jacobs speaks
with neighbor Trellis Tyson on Friday, May 14. Tyson has lived on Artisan
Avenue for 26 years. Jacobs is trying to rally her neighbors and community
service organizations to join efforts in elevating the community rather
than trying to accomplish the task alone.

HUNTINGTON -- Brandi Jacobs watches with a heavy heart as drug deals go
down in her neighborhood.

She sees youngsters -- some who should be exiting a school bus -- spending
their days peddling crack-cocaine. But unlike many people in her community,
Jacobs stands in a position to do something about drugs plaguing parts of
Fairfield West. At only age 27, the Artisan Avenue resident has been
elected as the Democratic nominee for the District 5 seat on Huntington
City Council and faces no opposition in November.

The district includes areas where flashing police lights are as common a
site as children playing outside. Between September 2003 and May 16, nearly
21 percent of the city's 290 drug violations either occurred on Artisan
Avenue or within a two-block vicinity, according to a Herald-Dispatch
computer analysis of statistics compiled by the Huntington Police
Department. A little more than six percent of the citywide violations
occurred in the 1600 block of Artisan Avenue.

While the numbers are high, they have improved since a similar analysis was
done by the newspaper last fall. The report showed that more than 10
percent of citywide drug violations had occurred in the 1600 block of
Artisan Avenue between January 2002 and the beginning of September 2003.

"We're not seeing as much of the street-level stuff," said HPD Sgt. Rocky
Johnson. "A while back, it was every night that (drug dealers) were
standing out there. It's two or three nights a week now."

While the improvement comes as welcome news, it's still not enough for
police or residents, including Jacobs. She said she looks forward to the
day when she can walk her dog Tigger without witnessing any drug transactions.

"It breaks my heart," she said as she watched a school bus pull up near her
home. "It hurts me. I see the same-age men (as high school students) trying
to make a dollar (dealing drugs). Where have we failed as a community that
there's not a better option?"

Jacobs, who has a master's degree in public administration and is outreach
coordinator for Ebenezer Medical Outreach, said relying solely on the
police department is not enough. She said residents must be optimistic that
conditions can change, and they must unite to actually do something.

"Imagine what we could do if we'd unify," she said. "If everyone in the
community could reach five to 10 people, imagine what could be done."

Jacobs said she respects the efforts of the police department, and the
respect is mutual. HPD Lt. Hank Dial said he has come to know Jacobs
through community/police interaction in Fairfield West and is impressed by
her articulateness and desire to make things better.

"I look forward to working with her in the future," he said. "She's bright
and will make a real difference."

Jacobs, who was elected in 1999 as Marshall University's first
African-American student body president, said strengthening the trust
between Fairfield West residents and the police is among her top goals.

"People need to know that police officers are not the bad guy, and police
need to know that every African-American male is not up to something
(criminal)," she said. "It's a two-way street."

Jacobs said it is too simplistic to think that the citywide drug problem --
which has included an influx of dealers from Columbus, Ohio, and Detroit --
will be solved through community tips to the police and by arrests alone.
She said economic development lies at the heart of the issue, and leaders
must consider the impact their decisions will have locally. She said she
remembers a time when Fairfield West residents could walk to buy groceries
or have their hair cut or styled -- without the fear of drugs and guns.

"I would like to see businesses thrive in the community," she said.
"Economic development is so important for our senior citizens. We have to
stand firm about what's going to happen in our community."

The Rev. Paul Willis, pastor of First Baptist Church, 801 6th Ave., and a
former Fairfield West resident, agreed, saying that the Central City area
of West Huntington is a prime example of what can happen through overall
community interaction.

"I look at the involvement it took to get it to that point," he said. "It's
going to take everybody working together. . If we just say, 'Wait on the
police department,' it's not going to happen."

From merely a law enforcement standpoint, Johnson said the Fairfield West
drug problem is gradually being eradicated because of adaptability and
tactics. He said obtaining drugs is not as easy for a first-time buyer in
the area.

"It's not a static thing," he said of the drug trade. "They move; we move
right with them. They change their tactics; we change ours."

Johnson said officers are attacking drug traffickers "two or three nights a
week steady," something that HPD Chief Arthur "Gene" Baumgardner said is
making a difference.

"They're all working on an overtime basis," he said of the more than 30
officers who have helped attack the problem. "They've really made a dent in
crime, particularly drugs. It takes dedication to work like that."

Baumgardner and Johnson said tips from the community, especially to a
confidential HPD recorded hotline at (304) 696-4444, have been extremely
helpful. Johnson also alluded to the overall success of prosecuting local
drug traffickers, as well as the stiff prison sentences that many guilty
offenders have received.

Yet Jacobs and Willis maintain that the drug problem is more complex than
most people are willing to admit. They said anyone with an attitude that
"It's happening in their neighborhood, not mine," had better reconsider
their thinking.

"We've had such a hands-off approach that people are afraid to get their
hands dirty," Jacobs said. "People need to get their hands dirty."

Willis agreed, saying that he believes young leaders such as Jacobs and
Mayor David Felinton will make a difference.

"The weight of the problem falls on the entire city," he said. "I see
things moving in a very positive direction."