
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, August 12, 1994                   TAG: 9408120112
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                 LENGTH: Medium

MARTIAL LAW SUGGESTED FOR RICHMOND

Violence in the state capital has become so bad that the city's School Board chairman has suggested a declaration of martial law.

``Bring in the National Guard, federal troops, whatever we need to get our community back,'' Melvin Law said Wednesday. ``Ladies and gentlemen, the house is on fire.''

So far this year, the city has recorded 102 homicides - well ahead of the killing rate experienced in any previous year. There were 111 homicides in 1993.

While Law's call for the National Guard was dismissed with little discussion, a suggestion from Del. Dwight Jones, D-Richmond, was not.

``Declare a disaster area,'' he said. ``Send a disaster delegation to Washington to find out what resources are available.''

Other officials attending the second day of a summit on violent crime suggested less drastic solutions.

Among the proposals: get the General Assembly to adopt anti-handgun laws; try teen-agers as adults, completely reorganize the police force, create an all-male school for blacks, enforce a curfew for minors, prosecute parents for their delinquent children, arrest loiterers and prostitutes, build a new jail and create a crime-prevention agency.

All the suggestions, and dozens more for dealing with crime, will be discussed extensively before City Council acts on them Sept. 12. But City Manager Robert Bobb announced one thing he would do more quickly.

Beginning Monday, Bobb said he would put the Police Department and city agencies on ``full alert'' in the most troubled neighborhoods. That means patrols will be increased and even doubled in some cases.

The targeted areas are largely around housing projects on the city's north and south sides.

Though there are 70 census tracts in the city, statistics show that from 1980 through 1993, one-third of the murders in Richmond occurred in seven troubled tracts.

``We're going to put zero-tolerance on everybody that's movin' and shakin','' Bobb said.

He warned that will mean more arrests, and that will put more pressure on prosecuting attorneys, judges and the City Jail.

The summit was called by Mayor Leonidas Young and Commonwealth's Attorney David Hicks. After two days of discussions, which at times turned contentious, the panel agreed to meet again Aug. 24.

by CNB