RESIDENTS BANDING TOGETHER

Thank you for the Jan. 1 story Zones to help push out drugs, about the
Upper Eastside's efforts to reduce drug crime with enforcement of
Florida statute 893. The statute requires a mandatory three-year
sentence for people convicted of crimes committed within 1,000 feet of
schools, places of worship, parks and child-care centers.

Coconut Grove residents, too, have been working to see that this
little-used statute is enforced. Grove residents, including children,
have witnessed and been victims of crimes by repeat offenders near
schools and parks.

The All-Grove Crimewatch Committee, made up of residents from all
parts of the area -- north, west, center and south -- recently hosted
its first Grove Crimewatch Forum at Miami City Hall to get answers and
commitments from law-enforcement authorities and others to reduce crime.

At the meeting, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle
said that her office was fully committed to seeing the statute
enforced, and that anyone who was arrested within these 1,000-feet
drug-free zones would receive the mandatory sentence.

Residents must insist that law-enforcement agencies follow through.
They must keep the residents informed in a timely manner about where
crimes have occurred. Residents must call these agencies to task if
they fail to keep their commitments.

By working together with neighborhood police and through crimewatch
organizations and neighborhood associations, residents can make
communities safer for everyone.

As a result of the article, residents of the Upper Eastside and
Coconut Grove are considering collaborating on crime-watch efforts.

Chair, All-Grove Crimewatch Committee

Coconut Grove