NEIGHBORHOOD MENACE

Michael F. Martin Says He Didn't Intend To Shoot A Suspected Drug Dealer
Outside His Fitchburg Home In November 03

The 57-year-old Vietnam veteran says the shooting was an accident. But he
acknowledges he was fed up with the constant drug-related traffic on his
narrow, quiet street before the shooting occurred. "I went out there with a
handgun, just for my own protection," Martin said. The driver, Carlos Cruz,
began to pull away as Martin approached him. Martin said he fell back onto
the street, and his gun discharged, hitting Cruz in the hip.

"Is it stressful? Yes. Is it an annoyance? Yes. Is it frustrating?
Absolutely," Martin said. "They get out in front of the house and do that,
and it lowers the property values. I want my neighborhood to be quiet and
safe. There are a lot of families around here."

Martin seems to speak for many residents throughout North Central
Massachusetts when he says he has grown tired of the drug dealing in what
once was his quiet Hardy Passway neighborhood.

"When I first got here, it was a relatively typical neighborhood," Martin
said. "Only in the last couple of years has drugs become a problem in those
neighborhoods."

It's been a dangerous and sometimes deadly couple of years in North Central
Massachusetts because of the region's decades-long struggle with illegal
drug trafficking and use.

In fact, things got so bad at one point in Fitchburg that Fitchburg Police
Chief Edward Cronin and Mayor Dan H. Mylott traveled to Boston in August to
ask Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey for more help in fighting heroin-related crime.
Their journey followed a number of high-profile related drug crimes during
the past couple of years, including a murder on Main Street in April 2004,
a shooting outside a 4-year-old's birthday party in May 2004 and the
execution-style slaying of a Leominster man at an off campus Fitchburg
State College party in April 2003.

Then less than 10 days ago, state and local police surrounded a building on
Rollstone Street for more than four hours before storming in and arresting
two suspected drug dealers, who were also being investigated in connection
with several shootings in the city.

In addition, Fitchburg police have spent literally hundreds of hours
responding to calls at the Green Acres public housing complex. But the
arrest last week of two Leominster men, who federal and local prosecutors
say were running an international cocaine and marijuana trafficking ring,
proves that illegal drug trafficking and use is not just a Fitchburg
problem. Police say Rigoberto Morfin-Rodriguez, 41, of 615 Willard St.,
Leominster, and his nephew Gilberto Morfin-Rodriguez, 26, of 45 Stephens
Road, Leominster, were the kingpins of an illegal drug trafficking that
stretched from Leominster to Mexico. In what might have been the biggest
drug raid in North Central Massachusetts history, federal, state and local
police seized more than one ton of marijuana, $500,000 in cash and several
firearms.

Rigoberto Morfin-Rodriguez is also a suspect in a Templeton murder,
according to police. Neighbors of the alleged masterminds said the suspects
were quiet and kept to themselves.

"They didn't want to be too conspicuous," said John R. Grossi, who lives at
342 Union St., in Leominster -- directly across the street from the home
police stormed Sunday and made several arrests.

Many residents interviewed by the Sentinel & Enterprise for this article
said they feel like Martin -- powerless and angry when drug dealers or
addicts move into their neighborhood.

Decades of addiction The decades of addiction and drug dealing in North
Central Massachusetts have hit home to many people like Martin, who have
simply been unable to enjoy the home they worked so hard to own.

Drugs can scar the face of a neighborhood, marking it with destitute
addicts, graffiti and gunplay from gang-related turf wars.

It is a problem that has raged in this region for decades, but there are no
easy solutions, particularly when police feel they do not have enough
resources to win the war against drugs, and the demand, if anything, is
growing. Cronin has launched a number of new initiatives since being named
chief in 2002, and drug arrests have jumped substantially.

But he acknowledges the drug problem here did not start overnight, and it
won't go away overnight, either.

"When I came on board, I realized we have a very substantial drug issue in
Fitchburg," Cronin said. "I saw a tough, entrenched drug problem that's not
going to be cleared up within two or three years. I have to do the best
with what I have." And while drug arrests have jumped during the last few
years, crimes often related to drug use or dealing, like burglaries,
assaults and larcenies, also remain high, according to police records.

During 2003, there were 587 assaults in Fitchburg and 412 burglaries. There
were 106 assault and batteries in Leominster during the same period. Many
local officials say the problem is exacerbated by the presence of a number
of nonprofits in Fitchburg that cater to drug addicts and homeless people.
They say those centers actually bring more criminals from out-of-town into
the area, and once here, they commit more crimes.

The nonprofits maintain that they bring valuable services to the community,
such as counseling and education about AIDS and HIV to the drug users in
the area. Martin pleaded guilty to assault and battery with a dangerous
weapon in December and is on probation.

Martin said he watched as cars pulled up side by side, idled for a little
while, and then drove away.

He saw the drivers exchange items, and sometimes he found used hypodermic
needles on the sidewalk.

A quiet and safe neighborhood Martin said he regrets shooting the suspected
drug dealer. But he admits the drug dealers don't ply their illegal trade
in front of his house as often anymore.

"It's quieted down the last three months. They tend to move around," Martin
said. "I might have slowed them down. They don't know what I'm going to
do." Trapped Dorothea Cassady, 55, lives in Town View Tower in Fitchburg,
and she said drug dealers in her building make her feel scared and trapped.
"It does change how you live. You don't go out at night. You don't want to
go in the hallways," Cassady said.

Neighbors worry about their own safety and the safety of their children,
who must brave the neighborhood when they play in their yard or walk to
school. Drug dealing or use in a neighborhood also brings other crimes,
such as prostitution, burglaries, assaults and robberies, said Fitchburg
Ward 3 City Councilor Joel Kaddy, who is a former Fitchburg police officer.
Cassady, who is disabled, often heard fights and screams as a result of the
drug dealing inside her building on Prichard Street in Fitchburg. But one
night, the violence came knocking on her door. A man banged at her door
looking for a drug dealer who was in another apartment on the same floor.

Prisoners in their own home "I had this guy beating on my door, kicking it
with his foot, and yelling all sorts of four-letter words. I told him,
'This isn't the apartment you're looking for,' and he didn't believe me. He
said, 'Yes, it is. I know you're in the there,'" Cassady said. "I was
terrified."

The 10-story brick building towers over nearby apartment buildings in the
downtown area just off of Main Street.

The Fitchburg Housing Authority runs the building, which offers affordable
housing for seniors and disabled people.

Robert Hill, executive director for the Fitchburg Housing Authority, said
he was able to tie the men to drug activity and evict them. "I think that
building is indicative of what we do. Unfortunately it takes a while, but
by and large we've been very successful," Hill said. But Cassady said she
is still surrounded by other apartment buildings where people can buy and
use crack-cocaine.

The alleyway behind her building is often littered with hypodermic needles
and graffiti.

"The biggest problem affecting the city of Fitchburg is drugs," said Ward 6
City Councilor Jody Joseph. "A lot of people are intimidated by drug
dealers, and the ones that aren't tend to face retribution. People don't
feel like it's their neighborhood any more. They're prisoners in their own
homes. If there's one bad element in the neighborhood, neighbors have to
worry about the whole complexion of the neighborhood."

But downtown Fitchburg isn't the only neighborhood affected by drugs. A
drug house can ruin even quiet streets in well-respected neighborhoods.
Leominster Ward 4 City Councilor Robert Salvatelli said residents on
Birchcroft Road, on the city's west side, are upset by a house where they
suspect drug activity is taking place.

"We've had eight people sign a petition indicating they were very concerned
about it. They feel it isn't safe there anymore," Salvatelli said. "The
more transients in a community, the more drugs. The less law enforcement,
the more drugs. The more poverty, the more drugs. It happens even in your
better neighborhoods."

A Birchcroft Road resident, who asked not to be named for fear of
retribution, said he has witnessed drug deals near the house. "I find
paraphernalia on my lawn. Ripped corners of baggies and the insides of
cigars," he said. "Kids that don't live in the house are just in and out of
there." The house where the alleged drug dealing occurs is owner-occupied,
said Salvatelli.

"It's a very calm residential area with a lot of kids on it," Salvatelli
said. Ready to leave?

The resident said he is worried about the safety of his family. "My kids'
safety comes first. They do not get out of our sight," he said. "My wife
has even talked about selling the house, and we shouldn't have to do that.
I'm an honest, taxpaying citizen. Why should I have to leave?" Another
Birchcroft Road resident, who also asked not to be named, said his
neighborhood has changed.

"It's been disrupted quite a bit. I hear the cars come up with loud
mufflers. They have parties up there," he said. "Now it's even worse. You
try to mind your business, but it gets hard."

Leominster Police Chief Peter Roddy said drug dealing can hit any neighborhood.

"Your street-level people are going to live in the poorer neighborhoods,
and your upper-echelon people are going to be living in the suburbs. We get
a lot of complaints about the East Side, but it ebbs and flows. It's a
constant battle." Leominster Ward 2 City Councilor Wayne Nickel said it's
not always easy to predict where drugs will take hold.

A turn for the worse French Hill, which is an East Side neighborhood in
Nickel's ward, has been plagued by drug issues since the 1960s, Nickel
said. "The more thickly settled the place is, the more issues it will
have," Nickel said. "A lot of it depends on landlords and who they allow to
rent the apartments."

Nickel identified 175 Fifth St. and 183 Fifth St. as houses where drug
activity is a problem.

Both houses are near Nickel's home. "Last year it was pretty wild. It was
the worst I'd seen it in a while," Nickel said about the 175 Fifth St.
building. "There was stuff going on in that building every day of the week,
and there were 20 to 25 teens and young men hanging out. The quality of the
neighborhood just took a turn for the worse." Nickel said 183 Fifth St. has
improved over the past few years. The three-story house at 175 Fifth St.
has been modified into six apartments. The yellow and red building had a
Dumpster in the front driveway with trash scattered nearby on a recent weekend.

James Normandin, who died after his plane crashed off Buttermilk Road in
2004, owned the two buildings.

AnneMarie Normandin, Normandin's widow, could not be reached for comment.
J.D. LeBlanc, a member of the French Hill neighborhood East Side Group,
said the neighborhood has gotten better, but neighbors are disturbed by
drug activity. "It's sad because this is a neighborhood that's
family-orientated," LeBlanc said. Nickel said knowing the landlord of large
apartment buildings has helped him attack problem areas.

"If people know who the landlord is, and they are able to talk to them
about problems, it helps," Nickel said.

Getting rid of the problem Fitchburg Ward 1 City Councilor Kevin Maynard
said evicting problem tenants can improve neighborhoods.

Many of the Fitchburg neighborhoods facing serious violence and drug crimes
are in Maynard's ward, such as Leyte and Normandy roads, where the Green
Acres public housing project is located.

"It's no secret there's a problem in that area with crime and drugs,"
Maynard said. The 10-acre housing project has seen an increase in drug
dealing, gun shots and gang violence since last year.

The two roads are scarred with potholes, some as big as 2 feet across. The
units sit four to a building and offer little lawn area for children to
play. Police arrested 68 people at the 160-unit complex between July and
December of 2004, and the residents have reported several drive-by
shootings in the past year. A gunman even fired shots at the housing
project in December while volunteers handed out Christmas baskets to residents.

Hill said he can kick out tenants at housing authority homes who have been
arrested on drug-related crimes.

"Out of the 15 people evicted from Fitchburg Housing Authority homes, eight
to 10 were drug related," Maynard said.

But Hill said much of the drug activity at Green Acres is caused by people
who do not live there.

"We continue to do battle with outsiders who decide Green Acres is a good
place to set up shop," Hill said. "A group of young men seem to be
conducting a business enterprise out of there."

Hill said his tenants are made up of many hard-working families who are the
victims of gangsters and drug dealers.

"Green Acres is a family neighborhood. It's very frustrating for me to go
to tenant meetings and hear about parents who won't allow their kids to
play outside or are fearful to let their child walk to the bus stop alone,"
Hill said. "It has a significant impact on their quality of life." Just one
house Leominster Councilor at large Dennis Rosa said he had firsthand
experience with a drug house when he bought a home on North Main Street in
2001, where some neighbors suspected drug dealers had lived.

"The real estate agent took me down to the basement, and I saw an empty cot
with a $20 bill on top of it. They said, 'Sometimes they take in people
from time to time.' I thought, 'All right. That's all I need to see,'" Rosa
said. Rosa and his business partner decided to raze the house rather than
rent it out. "We decided we didn't want the problem, so we tore the house
down," Rosa said. "We took a risk and tore down an investment, but we'd
rather do that than possibly have a drug problem."

Spreading like cancer Rosa said it only takes one house where drugs are
used or sold to change a neighborhood.

"Certainly you'll see house break-ins, robberies, sexual abuse, break-ups
in families," Rosa said. "You could pick any street -- all of a sudden one
person moves in and it attracts other (drugs dealers) like a magnet."
Kaddy, the Fitchburg city councilor, served as a Fitchburg police officer
during the 1980s and 1990s, when Fitchburg was hit hard with gangs and drug
crimes. He said if a drug dealer moves into a neighborhood, he usually
brings other crime and criminals with him.

"When a drug house opens on any street, people have to worry about their
homes being broken into, cars being broken into, assaults and robberies
increasing. If a drug house moves into a neighborhood and it's not caught
and it's successful, you'll see another business open up a short ways
away," Kaddy said. "It's simple supply and demand. If you have a gift shop
and it's doing well, you can expect another shop to open nearby."

Kaddy said houses in Fitchburg decreased in value during the mid-1990s when
gangs and drug crimes were prevalent.

"It was devastating for the banks and homeowners," Kaddy said. But Kaddy
said the people buying the drugs won't always commit crimes in the same
neighborhood where the drug house is.

"One drug house can have up to 40 clients. They need money to buy the
drugs, so the people coming to that house are committing crimes to get that
money," Kaddy said. "They might go outside the city to do their crimes.
That's why if Fitchburg has a drug problem, then Leominster, Lunenburg,
Westminster and Ashburnham have a problem."

Fighting back One Leominster neighborhood tackled housebreaks and drug use
head-on and created an effective neighborhood watch.

Monarch Street resident Ed Cantino spotted someone lying in the middle of
the street when he was driving home in 1993.

Cantino got out of the car and saw a young woman passed out on her back, a
needle still lodged in her arm.

"I got about three feet from her, and I didn't want to get any closer. It
grossed me out," Cantino said. "I just thought, 'We have a problem in this
neighborhood now.'"

The neighborhood is composed of only five small streets off of Route 12 and
is sandwiched by the Riverside Village housing project, and the woods next
to the Fitchburg Municipal Airport.

Next-door neighbor Jackie Davis and another neighbor started a neighborhood
crime watch shortly after.

They decided to call themselves "The Cranes," because they were "sticking
our necks out for our neighborhood," Davis said.

"We wanted to protect our kids and take back our neighborhood," Davis said.
Davis sent out fliers to all the houses on Monarch and Moore streets, and
residents began meeting with city councilors and members of the Police
Department.

"We had security experts in to look at our homes and security systems. They
taught us how to secure our home, what to look for in the neighborhood. We
also got new lights on our streets and a much better police presence here,"
Davis said. Glen Davis, Jackie Davis' husband, said a neighborhood group is
an effective way to battle crime.

"We certainly learned there is strength in numbers," Glen Davis said,
adding that city officials paid more attention to residents because of the
group. "You get to know who your neighbors are, support the police and help
them control crime in the area."

Glen Davis said it was easier for The Cranes to fight crime because they
live in a small neighborhood, unlike French Hill in Leominster. "With the
East Side, you have a lot of tenements, and you can't always know your
neighbors," Glen Davis said.

In harm's way Kaddy said it is often difficult for people to be vocal about
drugs or gangs because they worry they'll be targeted.

"If you live in a neighborhood, and you're a good guy and you've got young
children and you start working with the police to get drug dealers out,"
Kaddy said, "you have to be in fear for yourself, your children, your wife,
your house, and your car."