TWO DOZEN MARCH AGAINST DRUGS

About two dozen concerned residents took to the streets Saturday to
protest crime and drug dealer activity in their south Columbus
neighborhood.

Members and supporters of Winterfield on the Move Against Drugs, a
neighborhood crime-fighting group, marched a few blocks near Martin
Luther King Jr. Elementary School on 30th Avenue. Shortly before dusk,
the group recited anti-drug chants as they were escorted by three
police cruisers and several officers on foot.

"Hidey hidey hidey ho, drug dealers got to go," they
sang.

The Rev. Willie Phillips, who heads Winterfield, said he wanted to
hold the march in the area because of increasing drug dealer activity,
prostitution and other crimes.

Columbus police have designated the neighborhood around the elementary
school as Patrol Zone 31, which is bordered by Cusseta, St. Marys,
Andrews and Brennan roads. The zone consistently ranks among the top
city patrol zones for "Part 1 crimes" -- more serious offenses like
robberies, assaults and car thefts.

"These streets here, you can't even walk down the street," Phillips
said. "Our children do not need to see the violence and crime when
they leave school."

Jameka Smith, 22, attended the march to support the group's anti-crime
efforts. Although the Columbus State University student does not live
in the neighborhood, she said the larger issue was important to her.

"These kinds of issues are relatable, no matter where you're from,"
said Smith, who is from Decatur in metro Atlanta. "Nobody wants to
feel uncomfortable or unsafe in their neighborhood."

Organizers said they hope to get more community members involved, as
well as continue to receive law enforcement support.

"If we don't have them on our side, we're fighting a losing battle,"
Winterfield organizer Michael Williams said of police support.

And they don't want to just oust drug dealers from the neighborhood.
Phillips said they want to provide job training and other positive
alternatives to those who want to change their lives.

"It's not just getting rid of them," he said. "We want to help them
also."