THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 30, 1995 TAG: 9507280162
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
What Leon Whitehurst remembers most about growing up in Brighton is the community spirit among neighbors.
``Whole neighborhoods raised us as children coming up,'' he said.
Whitehurst, 55, believes that spirit can be rekindled in neighborhoods again.
As a police detective in the city's crime prevention bureau, Whitehurst works toward that goal daily, helping citizens to organize programs where they are trained to look out for one another.
Whitehurst oversees 12 of the 56 neighborhood watch groups in the city. It's this one-on-one interaction with the public that the 21-year police veteran likes most about his job.
``People want to get involved and people want to be safe,'' he said.
``It really gives me pleasure to see a program develop and make a difference in the city. . . The citizens really do the implementing. We just act as a guide,'' he said.
In the last few weeks, Whitehurst has been working with residents involved in National Night Out Against Crime. The event culminates Tuesday with a 5:30 p.m. motorcade procession through the city.
``The main focus of the whole National Night Out is to heighten crime prevention awareness,'' said Whitehurst.
``And to send a message to the criminal element that people are tired of crime, that they want to take back their streets.''
Only a year ago, Whitehurst did just that. He built a home in Prentis Place, a neighborhood plagued with a bad reputation for crime, riddled with boarded-up homes that had become havens for drug dealers and users.
The neighborhood was - and still is - in the midst of a massive revitalization effort, involving residents as well as public and private agencies.
Whitehurst decided to move from his Olde Towne residence to Prentis Place, he said, in order to ``make a difference.''
``I wanted to try to be part of the new revitalization that's going on there,'' he said. ``Tearing down unsightly homes and building new ones and getting people to move in to make the area like it used to be - a thriving area where people can live, work and play safe.''
Whitehurst credits the Portsmouth Community Development Group, under the leadership of Maury Cooke, with the vast improvements he's seen in Prentis Place in the year he has lived there.
``People are coming out and sitting on their porches again, talking to one another,'' he said. ``People are moving in, buying homes and becoming a part of the community. . .
``People are making a difference by becoming involved in the Prentis Place Civic League and the newly formed neighborhood watch. . .
``It's coming back,'' Whitehurst said of the neighborhood only eight blocks from his mother's home on Effingham Street.
``It's a beautiful place to live, as far as I'm concerned.''
Name: Leon B. Whitehurst Sr.
Nickname: ``Decker''
Neighborhood: Brighton
Number of years in Portsmouth: Lifetime
Birthplace: Portsmouth
Birthdate: May 7, 1940
Parents: John Edward Whitehurst, deceased, and Bernice Norvella Whitehurst
Occupation: Police officer
What job other than your own would you like? Concert conductor
Fondest childhood memory: Standing at attention and looking up at a Portsmouth police motorcycle officer
First concert: ``The Seven Last Words of Christ'' in 1960 at Norfolk State College, now known as Norfolk State University
What song or book title best describes your life? Rimsky-Korsakoff's ``Scheherazade''
If you won the lottery, what's the very first thing you'd buy? Individual homes for my children and a special addition of rooms to my home for my mother
If you could trade places for just one day with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? No one. I like being me.
Biggest accomplishment: Coordinating successful crime prevention programs that benefit the communities, such as Neighborhood Watch, Civilian Radio Motor Patrols, Safety Town and the Portsmouth Crime Prevention Steering Committee
Most embarrassing moment: Preparing for a speech over a period of three days, only to pick up the wrong coat. My speech was before the International Association of Police Community Relations Officers opening conference, held in San Francisco in 1989.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? To lose weight and keep it off
Perfect way to spend the day: Touring and taking in the sights of Portsmouth and the surrounding areas
I can't resist: Walt Disney World and conducting tours while there
Favorite Portsmouth restaurant: Vic Zodda's Harborside Restaurant, Holiday Inn, Portsmouth
Favorite Portsmouth hangout: Holiday Inn, Portsmouth
Biggest problem facing Portsmouth: Lack of business growth in Portsmouth and the lack of communication with our youth
If you had three wishes for Portsmouth, what would they be?
A broader tax base for Portsmouth
A waterfront theme park promoting the military history of the Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, the Naval Hospital and the history of Portsmouth
A crime-free Portsmouth
Other than its small-town atmosphere, what do you like about living in Portsmouth? I like promoting the city of Portsmouth as a police officer. I moved to Prentis Place so that I could become a part of a community that once thrived. I like living with people who care, people who have lived through hard times, good times and bad times, and with God's help, I will continue to enjoy the goodness and closeness of Portsmouth's residents. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JIM WALKER
Leon B. Whitehurst Sr.
by CNB