THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996                 TAG: 9606210491
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   63 lines

GOOD NEIGHBOR HELPS OTHER COMMUNITIES UNITE TO FIGHT CRIME JUST A FEW CITIZENS CAN WORK TOGETHER TO HELP MAKE THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS SAFE.

Willie Barnes keeps promises, but he doesn't keep secrets.

So on Thursday night, Barnes, who lives in Middle Towne Arch, followed through on a commitment to help the Villa Heights neighborhood start organizing against crime.

He offered solutions from his neighborhood, as well as from communities around the country.

``If I didn't share what's worked in my neighborhood or elsewhere,'' Barnes said, ``then I'm just holding good information that really should be given out to the general public.''

Some of those tips, Barnes said, are as basic as making a habit of looking out the window and reporting suspicious activity to police.

It's also important, he said, for neighbors to talk more with each other - if not in person then by organizing a ``telephone tree'' for sharing information.

Barnes is president of the Norfolk Neighborhood Crime Prevention Coalition, representing about 140 block-watch programs across the city. He considers the unpaid job of helping other neighborhoods part of a larger responsibility.

He does such things 10 to 12 times a year throughout Norfolk.

It doesn't matter if only a few people show up for a meeting - at least, at the start. Fifteen people attended the session organized by the Villa Heights Civic League.

But Barnes not only spoke for more than an hour, he also pledged to come back - with more anti-crime volunteers from Middle Towne Arch and other neighborhoods.

He assured the small band of Villa Heights residents that an effective crime-prevention program can start with just a core group of committed citizens.

Barnes volunteered to help after hearing Lana Pressley, president of the Villa Heights Civic League, express frustration at a May 29 forum on crime, hosted by the Neighborhood Network.

Neighborhood Network is a new coalition that fosters the exchange of ideas among civic groups.

Pressley told the other activists that Villa Heights residents just weren't getting involved. She talked about leaving Norfolk, despite her love for her riverfront home.

When Barnes and others said they would help, Pressley regained her enthusiasm. It grew even more on Thursday.

Pressley urged all who attended the meeting to start contacting neighbors on their blocks. ``I have to do that, too,'' she said. ``I don't even know everyone on my street.''

That inspired newcomer James Cuffee Jr., to promise his involvement, including trying to bring more neighbors to the next civic league meeting. And Shenae Turner of nearby Lindenwood said she saw how her neighborhood and Villa Heights could work together.

``This has been a real worthwhile meeting,'' Pressley said.

Fighting crime in Villa Heights could lead to her neighborhood becoming more effective on other problems, including having a stronger voice at City Hall, Pressley said. MEMO: The Villa Heights Civic League meets again at 7 p.m. July 18,

with a potluck dinner at the New Bethlehem Church of Christ, 753 E. 26th

St.

KEYWORDS: PUBLIC JOURNALISM by CNB