HOPE AMID DESPAIR

14th Street Cleanup Needs Consistent Effort

Despair and hope echoed in equal measure from Herald reporter Aaron
Quinn's provocative report, "Wanted: Miracle on 14th Street," in
Sunday's edition.

The despair resonated from the accounts of life on the street by drug-
addicted prostitutes, whose lives are measured by their next trick and
their next fix. It comes across, too, in the conversations with
frustrated residents and property owners who see their neighborhood
blighted by junkies and prostitutes, the homeless and the lawless -
who watch the sex and drug trade flourish in front of their homes and
businesses.

But glimmers of hope shine through the gloom. One is represented by
Bradenton Police Sgt. Jim Racky, a beat policeofficer who knows 14th
Street West well and whose patrols cause the outlaw element to live in
fear. Another comes from the law-abiding families who struggle to
survive in the run-down motels that don't cater to the sex trade,
whose owners fight to keep their places clean and their tenants safe.

Most encouraging is the commitment from Bradenton Police Chief Michael
Radzilowski to clean up 14th Street. Since taking office early this
year Radzilowski has concentrated on the prostitution and drug-dealing
that are the main sources of 14th Street's criminal activity and that
most contribute to its seediness. Along with steady prosecution of
prostitutes, the chief's tactics include reverse stings to make life
difficult for the customers of those street walkers, as well as using
undercover officers to buy drugs from suspected dealers. County
Commissioner Ron Getman, a former Highway Patrol officer who shares
Radzilowski's concerns for 14th Street, has been working to coordinate
county efforts to clean up the portion south of 26th Avenue that lies
in the county's jurisdiction.

This is not the first 14th Street sweep. For at least 10 years mayors
and police chiefs have targeted the street for revitalization, trying
to drive out the criminal element and help business groups upgrade
properties with new facades and landscaping. And here and there, signs
of progress show. Several buildings have been remodeled or
rehabilitated, especially on the upper end closer to Ninth Avenue West.

But somehow the effort isn't sustained. Prostitution and drug-dealing
may dip while police temporarily target that activity, but both return
when police turn to other areas. Inconsistent code enforcement is also
a factor, as absentee owners of seedy motels flout code standards and
their dumpy premises thus lure an undesirable element to the
neighborhood.

It's a vicious cycle that can be broken not with a miracle but with
consistent enforcement by all elements of city and county government.
Fourteenth Street may never regain its former glory when it was a
highly desirable business address, with restaurants, hotels and
retailers lining its blocks. Changing market conditions, including the
development of big shopping malls, ended that era. But 14th Street can
rebound to become a lively mixed-use avenue where residents and
business owners feel confident in improving their properties and
customers feel safe to patronize offices and stores.

We commend Radzilowski for identifying one of Bradenton's sorest
points and making a commitment to bring it back to health. With
sustained efforts, this gateway to downtown can become a source of
pride instead of shame.