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reclaim area
around school
There is a serious security problem at Central Middle School but it will not be easily remedied by temporary measures like closing Westside Park.
Nonetheless, closing the park was the right thing to do. Thugs beat one person nearly to death there nearly two weeks ago, and the park, as well as the school, has apparently become the middle ground of a turf war between two rival gangs, many of whom don’t live in the city.
All of this is unfortunate and untimely. Central Middle has gained traction academically after some difficult years, but the nearby violence will give it a black eye no matter how much grades improve.
City schools administrators are exasperated and frustrated. Who wants to teach at a school where lock-downs are commonplace because of shootings? The school already loses good students because of past incidents that give the impression that the school is not safe.
And what about Westside Park? After years of being promised a nice park, the community finally got one. Instead of the happy voices of children, however, the sounds of fights and gunshots are heard.
What about the children who play on Central’s ballfields after school hours? An Optimist Club spokesman said the club would probably consider moving its fields to a safer location if it could afford to. Shallotte Middle School has said it will never return to play games at Central because of a scary shooting incident last year.
Fixing the problem at and around Central will have to involve a communitywide effort. Whiteville City Council has a planning retreat next month, and the security of the school and citizens in the community should top the list.
What can be done?
First, the Whiteville Police must regain control of the area. The department will post officers around the school until 9 p.m., a time when baseball practices usually end.
This is temporary, however. The police, under new chief Jerry Britt, need the resources and willpower to re-establish community policing near the school.
A strong police presence is needed, not only in terms of being tough on crime, but also in re-establishing trust between the department and residents -- trust that one city councilman says is lacking. We believe that a community policing officer is needed to assist the current resource officer at the school now and to patrol the area around the school.
Second, the DA’s office and police must be more diligent about controlling drug activity in the area, which has led to gangs. Call it profiling if you will, but people who deal drugs close to the school or who are involved in gang activity need to be singled out, arrested and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law. Reducing plea bargains and probation for people involved in crimes around the school is necessary. A message must be sent.
Third, city council needs to get serious about dealing with urban decay. An editorial in last Thursday’s edition urged the city to hire a code enforcement officer to combat urban blight, but if all he or she does is write warning letters, it’s a waste of money.
Prime examples of urban decay are two burned-out houses at Virgil Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue that still stand. Litter and beer bottles line the streets.
Many cities have gotten the upper hand on drug dealing and gangs not through law enforcement alone, but by active code enforcement.
Fourth, the people who live on the west side of town must come together and be a part of the solution. City council members have held special meetings in the area to seek feedback but attendance has been poor. Activism is needed, but even the simplest matter of picking up the phone and calling the police when problems arise would be a step in the right direction.
Protection of its citizens, especially its children, is the most important charge of government, law enforcement and the judiciary. That feeling of safety has faded at Central Middle and in the west side.
It’s time to reclaim the streets, the park, the school and the neighborhood.