SOUTH CENTRAL RESIDENTS HAVE MESSAGE FOR DRUG CZAR

NEW BEDFORD -- From his perch behind the candy-laden counter of his corner
store across the street from a playground where drug dealers sometimes hang
out, Scott Almeida does not think long before coming up with a message for
White House drug czar Barry R. McCaffrey.

"We need more treatment and rehabilitation for incarcerated people, rather
than incarceration," he says emphatically. "It's like a revolving door. They
just go in and out of jail without the tools to deal with chemical
addiction. They just stay in a rut."

Steven Fernandes, a 38-year-old single father who moved to the south central
neighborhood from Wareham five months ago, sees the area drug problem a
little differently.

"When my kid is outside, cars stop and people try to sell him drugs," says
the slight man who works as a cook at an area restaurant. "They need to put
these drug dealers away longer. They need to make the drug laws stricter."

Officials from Mr. McCaffrey's Office on National Drug Control Policy will
walk through this neighborhood Friday during a two-day visit to New Bedford.
Also during their stay, the team -- including representatives from the
Justice and Health and Human Service departments -- will attend a meeting
with area providers and law enforcement agents to hear about local efforts
in prevention, treatment and enforcement.

Residents in the Bay Village housing complex and the surrounding
neighborhood had mixed messages for Mr. McCaffrey's lieutenants. Some, like
Mr. Fernandes, wanted tougher enforcement policies, such as more police
patrols and longer sentences for convicted dealers. Others advocated
increased emphasis on youth programs, job training and placement to provide
an alternative for neighborhood youngsters who might otherwise drift into
drug dealing.

Many were reluctant to talk or give their names for fear of retribution from
area dealers.

"I have to live here. They know me and I know them," said one woman,
glancing quickly over at a group of young men sitting on the wall
surrounding the newly renovated Monte's Park. She was headed to the park
with her 3-year-old daughter.

"I don't want a knife in my back," said another elderly woman. "I just mind
my own business."

This neighborhood just south of downtown New Bedford has seen its share of
drug problems and violence. Monte's Park, nestled between Acushnet Avenue,
South Second Street and the two-story brick Bay Village townhouses, has been
a magnet in the past both for people seeking to sell drugs and for buyers.
Even on a hot summer afternoon, expensive cars drive slowly down Acushnet as
their drivers troll for clients or stop to make purchases.

Many residents said the neighborhood has improved in recent years.

On Tuesday, sprinklers left a fine wet mist as about 25 teens and children
played on asphalt squares in Monte's Park. Some rode bicycles in tight
circles, while others shot hoops or just sat in the shade watching.

The new playground has been great, and increased police patrols, including a
new foot patrol officer, have made a difference, said Anita F. Burke, a
50-year-old grandmother who lives in Bay Village. But the area needs more,
she says.

"They need something for these kids to be active in," she says. "There's
nothing for them to do. These kids, and a lot of them come from good homes,
end up hanging out and dealing drugs."

Jerome Barboza, a smiling 13-year-old who came into Mr. Almeida's Parkside
Variety Store to buy some Popsicles, says he has friends who smoke
marijuana. But he knows drugs are "no joke."

"They should keep drugs away from kids," he says.

A few blocks down Acushnet Avenue is the Cape Verdean Band Club, where a
series of shooting incidents earlier this year resulted in a crackdown by th
e liquor board. On the next block, Tony Diaz sits on a black milk crate
outside the Central Foods Store.

He knows many of the area drug dealers and says they respect him and his
store.

"They're all good guys going about their business. It just happens to be
illegal," said Mr. Diaz, whose father owns the food store. "They need money
just like the rest of us."

Still he considers drug abuse a "plague."

"I see kids just 12 years old with pistols in their pockets, pushing stuff,"
he says.

Just across the street, five young men, most of whom are wearing beepers,
Nike sneakers and gold jewelry, sit on a cement wall. They are not sure just
who the drug czar is.

"Is he some crazy guy?" asks one, as the others laugh.

Joseph Andrade, community organizer for Catholic Social Services, works out
of an office on nearby Rockland Street. He wants to see a resource or
community center for teen-agers. Current programs for youngsters, including
New Directions which runs a summer program and YouthBuild, cannot
accommodate all the teens in need of help, he said.

"We've got some really sharp kids down here," he said. "And they are just
going to waste hanging on street corners."