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Visibility, common purpose stressed during citywide event
By Connie Bloom
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Aug 06, 2008
Apathy is a major cause of decline in many fine neighborhoods, residents stressed Tuesday in meetings across the city during the 25th National Night Out Against Crime.
''There's strength in unity,'' said Pastor Mark Tony Ward of East Akron's Zion Temple Baptist Church. ''Visibility will help combat the evil within neighborhoods,'' and let people know they are not alone. ''There's strength in numbers.''
The Rev. Eugene Norris of Mountain of the Lord Fellowship, an event organizer on the city's west side, agreed.
''We're going to take our streets back and build the kind of community we want to live in,'' he said.
Residents gathered in 10 locations to discuss crime with city representatives and their neighbors. They chanted, prayed, sang and marched down their streets blowing whistles and raising signs saying they won't take it anymore.
Some neighborhoods have been hit harder than others, but residents echoed similar sentiments.
''There's a lot of crimes along Lovers Lane,'' said Quintella Walters. She marched with a band of about 30 neighbors to Dave's Supermarket on Exchange Street near Arlington, a neighborhood that's been especially hard hit.
''We're trying to help the youth and keep them off the street and show the direction to go. We want them to live to the fullest. We want them to stay in school,'' she said.
In Firestone Park, Cindy Morrow, president of Firestone Park Citizens Council, was singing the same song.
''Youth crime is terrible here,'' she said, adding parents aren't policing their children and penalties in juvenile court are too light.
Her husband was riding his bicycle last summer and was yanked off his bike and beaten. In a separate incident, her car was stolen and the juveniles who did it got a slap on the hands, she said.
Two days after they appeared in court, the juveniles were caught desecrating a local church, she said.
Gary Sitosky of Firestone Park said crime seemed to follow him from Summit Lake, which he left in 2000.
The neighborhood needs a prominent police presence, he said. ''We see all the money that's being spent downtown . . . our area can use some of that.''
Sitosky related a story about a deranged man wielding a lawn mower blade and yelling obscenities who got much farther than he should have before someone stopped him.
''All it takes is one person to jump up and do something,'' he said. A lot of people are afraid, but that's no way to live or turn around a neighborhood.
Sitosky urged residents to meet their neighbors and swap phone numbers.
Ward 7 Councilwoman Tina Merlitti told residents to form block watches and have regular meetings.
''We encourage people to adopt empty houses,'' maintain the lawns, throw wreaths on the doors and use the driveways to make the homes look lived in, she said.
Connie Bloom can be reached at 330-996-3568 or cbloom@thebeaconjournal.com.
Apathy is a major cause of decline in many fine neighborhoods, residents stressed Tuesday in meetings across the city during the 25th National Night Out Against Crime.
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