DRUG DEALING AFFECTS DISTRICT

Police had watched 88-year-old Lucressia Fearrington's home at 602
Nunn Street in the Northside community for years.

Since 2000, approximately 15 arrests were made at her address, and
police received more than 25 written complaints.

The residence was considered a center for drugs, but police lacked
cause for a search warrant and Fearrington refused them entry.

Police said Fearrington, who is confined to a wheelchair, gave her
trust to a group of young men who provided her with minimal care but
used her home to sell drugs.

On April 6 when a Pittsboro man violated the release conditions of his
bond by entering the residence, Fearrington agreed to let police enter
her home.

"She authorized a consent to search her home because she didn't
believe those young folks hanging out there were doing anything bad,"
Chapel Hill police officer Leo Vereen said.

Police discovered rocks of crack cocaine and marijuana in the house
and subsequently issued Fearrington a court summons to face the felony
charge of maintaining a dwelling to keep or sell controlled substances.

The incident paints a bleak picture for the Northside community,
contributing to its reputation for drug-related crime.

But residents of the community and police say the charge against
Fearrington is not indicative of simply the presence of drug activity.

Instead, they say, it illustrates the broader effect that the drug
trade has had on the community.

Like Fearrington, they say, most residents of Northside are not
involved with the drugs that surround them. Instead, drugs are often
bought and sold in Northside by outsiders.

"It's got a reputation, but most of the folks living in Northside have
absolutely nothing to do with it," said Lt. Brian Curran, Chapel Hill
vice narcotics supervisor. "They are just kind of victimized by a
relatively small number of people involved in the trade."

David and Emma Mason, of 608 Craig St., suddenly found themselves
neighbors of drug dealers about four years ago.

The Masons grew up in the neighborhood and have lived there throughout
their 61 years of marriage, but the couple began to feel alienated
when drug dealers started to frequent a house on the property across
from their home.

"I got to where I just didn't want to go anywhere anymore. I could see
people watching us leave home," Emma Mason said, recalling how uneasy
she felt leaving the house, particularly for any type of extended trip.

David Mason said he called the police almost every day until the house
across the street finally was torn down. But, he said, they asked
police not to reveal their identities out of fear of possible
retaliation.

"They didn't bother us, but we didn't know when they would," Emma
Mason said, referring to the drug dealers.

Curran said many residents don't call police at all out of fear.
Others who do call often aren't willing to testify about what they
have seen, he said.

But police say it is community involvement that will help them address
the problem.

Vereen said the community lacks the sense of cohesiveness it once had,
which is largely due to the shift away from single-family residences.

"People don't say, 'This is my neighborhood. I'm going to take care of
it,'" he said.

Vereen, who works primarily in Northside, said many people who come to
the neighborhood to sell drugs usually have familial ties to
residents, but they don't always live there.

"Most of the folks are people that are related to someone in Northside
or grew up there," Vereen said. "They can say, 'I'm visiting my cousin.'"

Vereen said, the individuals who buy drugs also come from all over
town.

"You have college students buying, people in the shelter, people
driving to the neighborhood -- it's a combination of folks," he said.

In Northside, two officers work seven days per week specifically to
enforce drug violations. There is also an undercover narcotics unit.

Despite heavy patrols, the drug trade continues and, in addition to
the elderly, children of Northside are increasingly put at risk.

Jamie Fearrington, 21, of Carrboro grew up off Airport Road. He was
turned onto the drug trade and began dealing when he was 16,
continuing for three years.

"I used to get off the bus and see people hanging out," Fearrington
said. "They weren't working. They weren't going to school, but they
had the nice things. I got into it just by looking."

Fearrington has since attended drug treatment programs, but he said
for children in Northside the problem will persist. There isn't enough
for youth in Northside to do in Chapel Hill, he said. "Everything is for
Carolina students."