THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 2, 1996 TAG: 9605020412
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON FRANK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
The Rev. Joseph N. Green Jr. remembers the Reservoir Avenue of 20 years ago, when it was part of a peaceful, inner-city neighborhood with quiet sidewalks and law-abiding residents.
``It was a great community,'' recalled Green, a Norfolk city councilman and retired after 20 years as pastor at the Grace Episcopal Church near Reservoir and Brambleton avenues.
``I remember the time when the area was nice and safe,'' added the Rev. John H. Foster, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church on nearby Park Avenue, and a former city councilman. ``It was a very wholesome community.''
They say things began changing about 10 years ago as the inner-city culture of America began embracing something other than family values.
``When drugs came, they took over the neighborhood,'' Green said. ``I guess the dealers thought they could stay there and be close to their trade.''
Soon, violence followed. In some ways, it reached a peak with Wednesday's shooting of a police officer. But the violent crime along Reservoir Avenue has been building for years. By the mid-1990s, it had become epidemic.
In 1994, three people were killed on Reservoir. The same year, 14 burglaries occurred, and five people were robbed, according to police records.
Last year, another 14 burglaries and five robberies were reported there.
Statistically, things had started looking up this year. Through the first week of April, only two robberies and one burglary along Reservoir had been reported to police.
The decrease in crime was being attributed to several actions taken by authorities and community leaders. A police bicycle patrol was assigned to the neighborhood, and a police substation was opened. A corporation set up to tear down old homes and build new ones was started.
But Wednesday's shooting muted Green's optimism.
``I had hoped that we had it cleaned up, but, evidently, we still have some hot spots out there before we can get the job done,'' said Green.
Green promised to return to the city manager's office to request even more of a police presence along Reservoir. He also plans to consult with Police Chief Melvin High about how the neighborhood can be made safer.
Foster agreed that the approach being taken by the city is correct. But more of everything - including time - is essential for success.
``We need to amplify and intensify our efforts,'' Foster said. ``With a problem of this magnitude we need a great deal of cooperation among agencies. It is going to take time to achieve our goals. . . .but we are going to return this community to what it was. We are going to make it what the people desire it to be.''
KEYWORDS: CRIME NORFOLK DRUGS ILLEGAL by CNB