NEIGHBORS FIGHT RAVAGES OF DRUG SCENE

DETROIT -- Detroit has a problem with drug houses.

One need only visit Keating Street close to I-75 and John R to find
how easy it is to purchase drugs in the northeastern neighborhood.

"They are like cockroaches. They keep coming back," said one neighbor
about two drug houses at 19236 and 19248 Keating. "This condition is
prevalent."

Keating may have more than one drug house but one thing that stands
out about these particular houses is that they have long been
considered the epicenter of drug sale and exchange of gun shots in
that neighborhood.

"Because of the gun shots fired, this place is called Little Saigon,"
another neighbor said on condition of anonymity. "We have more drug
houses than law enforcement."

"Little Saigon" has been in operation for years in that neighborhood
and law enforcement has done nothing about it, according to some of
the neighbors.

Any time of the day, young people are seen busy doing the business of drugs.

One resident in the neighborhood said she is not that worried about
the drug dealers anymore because, "They are very polite. There is a
bullet hole in my house and I don't know where it came from."

But the menace of drugs on Keating could affect the young children
who use the streets as their playground.

"You have kids here who are trying to play. The police especially,
the Northeastern District [formerly the 11th precinct], just don't
seem to do anything about it," one resident said. "I have no idea why
the police have not done anything."

Northeastern district commander Robert B. Dunlap said no one has
reported the matter to him.

"I just had a community relations meeting last night but not one
person complained about that location," Dunlap said. "I will go back
today and take a look at it."

Dunlap said he understands that most people would fear making reports
about drug houses in the open but, "I always make myself available.
They can come into my office and talk about it."

However he said the police are not sitting back on cracking down on
drug houses.

"We have had some enforcement in that area," Dunlap said. "In fact,
this Saturday we have a violent crime walk where the police and the
community will be in lock step to speak to folks about how they can
get involved in their community."

Talk show host W.F. Hodo, who lives in that northeastern
neighborhood, said he too had reported the matter to both the police
and Wayne County Sheriffs Department but no action was taken.

"They called it little Vietnam," Hodo said. "I've been dealing with
this for about six years. I told [Wayne County Sherriff] Warren Evans
and nobody did anything about it."

John Moore, a political consultant, said he, too, was concerned about
Little Saigon.

"A senior citizen called on my show to talk about this," Moore said.
"The person said you can stand and watch the drug activity going on."

Moore said he reported the matter to Darlene Nero, community liaison
and special projects coordinator for the Wayne County Sheriffs Department.

"The man was adamant that nothing has been done about this and his
wife was already getting nervous," Moore said. "I did not hear from
him back anymore."

Nero in a phone interview said she passed on the report to the
narcotics department.

"I sent it to our narcotics [squad] to investigate it," Nero said.
"They do a sting operation."

When contacted, John Roach, spokesman for the Sheriffs Department
said, "We don't have any current citizen complaint about that area."

Roach promised a follow-up with the narcotics department.

"That area is probably the lowest in economic scale on income but yet
there are ways we can partner at it relates to drug complaints," Dunlap said.

Moore said it is unacceptable to render service for any resident
based on their economic scale.

"That is not an excuse not to do it," Moore said. "I would like to
see it raided and shut down. Obviously if you don't have the right
name and address you can't get services in this city. This is one of
the variables why our young people are leaving because systematically
we have excluded people in this community."