NORFOLK
Ted Lamb had a simple message for residents of the Wards Corner area Thursday night – if you want to rid your neighborhoods of crime, then do it yourself.
Lamb instituted a successful neighborhood watch program in Portsmouth’s Cradock neighborhood. A school teacher who moved to Portsmouth from the Midwest two years ago, he was appalled by the blighted housing, drug dealers and prostitutes in his new neighborhood.
So he met with neighbors, who formed a watch group that began patrolling the neighborhood in shifts.
With help from the Portsmouth Sheriff’s Department, which began patrolling Cradock with its Community Enforcement Unit, Lamb’s efforts helped lead to a 45 percent drop in crime during the first five months of 2008.
“We took back our neighborhood,” Lamb said.
Many Wards Corner neighborhoods are similar to Cradock in that they are established, working-class areas where high-density apartment development and the decline in housing helped attract crime. Civic league leaders said a program similar to Cradock’s could help reduce crime.
The Norfolk police have stepped up their presence in Wards Corner as part of Project Focus, an anti-crime initiative. But that won’t be enough unless citizens participate, Lamb said.
He said he faced two options after moving to Cradock: leave or fight.
“I decided I’m not letting a 14-year-old who can’t spell 'cat’ dictate how I’m going to live my life,” he said.
He urged residents of Wards Corner to stay and fight as well. “How many of you are tired of doors being kicked down in your neighborhood?” he asked.
Tim Smith, who organized Thursday’s presentation for the Greater Wards Corner Partnership, is trying to organize neighborhood watches in the Denby Park, Monticello Village and Oakdale Farms neighborhoods.
“The Norfolk police have a fantastic job of reducing crime,” Smith said. “But it’s time for the citizens to step up.”
R.J. Luce, one of several civic league leaders from Denby Park who attended the meeting, said she was impressed with what she saw.
“This is something we need to do our very best to pursue,” she said.
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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Still a lot of crime in Cradock
The problem is not solved in Cradock--still a lot of robberies, drug houses, and gang violence that's not going to go away in such a short period of time. The police seem to be making themselves more visible, but at strange times of day. It's great to be packing Afton Square with police and sheriff's office cars at 3 p.m., but are you out there at 3 a.m. when businesses right on the Square are being broken into (for instance, the nice teen center that is owned and operated by a terrific family that was robbed last week in the middle of the night)?
Bright Side
Looking on the bright side, at least is has more diversity than many VA Beach neighborhoods.
Get involved
The police can only reposnd to incidents, they can't protect you unless you get involved. It's time for every community to take action and take back our streets from violent crime. Ted and the nieghborhood watch have done fantastic things for Cradock. You can too.
I'm hoping Ted will run for City Council next year, look out P-Town....
I'm ready!!!!!
...issue me a badge, body armour, and a firearm...and I'm there!!! I'll work side by side with Norfolk's Finest...but when is the City Council going to step up to the plate and do thier part???...as long as the roaches have a place to dwell...we will be stepping on them forever!!!
Sweep the trash someplace else!
Thanks to the City Wards Corner is what it is now. Sometimes it is better not to destroy a hornets nest because those hornets will build some place else. What did the City think the inhabitants of the crime ridden run down ares would do once the City redeveloped said areas? Pack up and move to another city or state? Thank the City Wards corner for sweeping the trash to your side of the room!
Not what it once was !!
I have lived at Wards Corner for 25 years. I was 9 yrs old when my parents first moved us there. And I'm still around, as are many of the people I grew up with. We love Wards Corner. However, yes it's not the same safe neighborhood that it once was. I recall when I was a kid going up to the shopping center, just 3 blocks from where I lived, and being allowed to run Wards Corner freely. Today I would never dream of allowing my daughter walk those 3 blocks by herself. None the less, we do need to take back our neoghborhood. Fight those people who have taken over with their crime and unlawful behavior. It's not the same safe Wards Corner that it once was --- I for one want that back. I have attended a few Wards Corner civic league meetings and I can't say I want to be apart of the nonsense that goes along with being apart of that civic league. There are a few people within the civic league that are unbarable and have all t
If the citizens...
...actually started doing what was necessary to end crime in that area, then the imperial omnipotent government would then arrest the citizens who did exactly that.
You are not going to end crime in any cancerous area with only words and ideas... Eventually you have to pay the rent, eventually you have to act, and not all the required actions are going to appeal to the "mob", and then law abiding citizens will be put in jail as well. Rinse repeat, further downward spiral. Ridiculous...
Throw out the government and every ridiculous law they've created then create sensible laws, start by legalizing drugs which end 90% of "street" crime, that will enact individual liberty again and start acting on them.
It has been unfortnate to
It has been unfortnate to see Wards Corner go from a place where I once didn't think twice about going to a drug store or restuarant anytime in the evening to somewhere I avoid due to crime, aggresive panhandlers and stores moved out.
I hope there will be some sort of turn round for the better in this area.