THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 30, 1994 TAG: 9410300058
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
A month after a Chanello's Pizza driver was shot during a robbery in Oakleaf Forest - and the neighborhood was subsequently cut off from delivery service - the pizza company returned in force Saturday.
Greeted by hundreds of hungry residents, most of them smiling children, Chanello's staff handed out thousands of slices of free pizza. It was the company's way of saying thanks for community assistance that helped bring the arrest of two teenagers charged with the shooting.
``This is great. This is where I would like to spend my Saturdays,'' said Norfolk Police Chief Melvin C. High as he watched kids wolfing down pizza slices faster than they could be handed out.
High had equal praise for Chanello's and those in the community who sought to help solve the shooting. ``This shows great commitment on their part,'' High said. ``I certainly thank this community for stepping forward.''
Dale Winkler, 42, was shot in the head on Sept. 24 as he was delivering a pizza to a home in the 1900 block of Greanleaf Drive. He remains hospitalized, recovering from his injuries.
Rico Antonio Wilson, 18, of the 3200 block of Lafayette Blvd., turned himself into police Sept. 30, and DeShawn James, 18, of Chesapeake turned himself in Oct. 3. They were charged with robbery, malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Both remain in the City Jail in lieu of bail.
``We received a lot of assistance from the public, which helped us to identify the men involved,'' said police spokesman Larry Hill. ``We believe it was pressure from the community and the media which forced the men to turn themselves in.''
No one expects a day of free pizza to solve the complicated problem of violent youth crime in such areas. Still, residents and cops on the beat were hopeful Saturday that the experience might encourage future cooperation between police, businesses and the community.
``Maybe the children will learn that doing the right thing brings you good things,'' said one resident who blamed ``bad kids'' raised by ``worse parents'' for making the neighborhood dangerous. She asked that her name not be used.
``Some of the older boys out here, they're troublemakers,'' she said. ``A lot of the boys hanging out at night are good boys. Nice boys. They have nothin' else to do. But there's the few with nothin' but trouble in 'em. And their mothers don't care or give up.''
Julie Davis, the Oakleaf community president, agreed.
``We have too many young fellows hanging on the streets,'' she said. ``Some are so innocent, but some are not. And those that are not put a brand on everyone else.''
Elaine Smith, 27, who lives in nearby Diggs Town with her four children, said, ``They need to get some of these people out of the park, the people that's making it bad for the others.''
Police officer David C. Baker, who has patrolled the area for years, said the result is that ``a lot of fine people, who really outnumber the bad . . . are trapped in their homes.''
It's because of them that Chet Blair, vice president of Chanello's, a locally owned company with 20 outlets in Hampton Roads, brought his crew back to Oakleaf on Saturday.
About a half-dozen Chanello's workers, assisted by residents, handed out more than 250 pizza pies. It was the first time the company's vehicles had been in the community since the shooting.
Blair, 26, said his drivers still will not deliver directly to the neighborhood, however. It's one of several locations in the region that have been marked off-limits because there is only one way in and out. Winkler was shot at the dead-end cul-de-sac in Oakleaf.
``Safety has to come first,'' Blair said. Being shot ``just isn't worth it for doing a job.''
But Blair said he also does not want to deny residents service.
On one hand, as a practical businessman, he doesn't hesitate to say Oakleaf is filled with good customers. Prior to the shooting, Chanello's received 10 to 20 orders a day in Oakleaf. ``I never like to turn down a good customer,'' he said. ``They make my paycheck.''
On the other hand, he believes businesses can't just walk away from community problems.
For now, the company has worked out an agreement with a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store. Residents who want a pizza delivered can meet the driver in the well-lighted parking lot at the convenience store. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
D. KEVIN ELLIOTT/Staff
Keith Alexander, 3, digs into a slice of one of the more than 250
free pizzas Chanello's gave to the Oakleaf Forest community Saturday
for cooperating with police in their efforts to solve a robbery in
which one of their deliverymen was shot in the head.
Brian Bennett dishes up free Chanello's pizza to residents of
Oakleaf Forest Saturday. Channello's treated the neighborhood for
its help in the arrest of two men suspected of shooting one of their
drivers last month.
by CNB