Westside community taking action to stop crime in their neighborhood
Posted: Sep 14, 2011 2:28 AM EDT | Updated: Nov 6, 2014 9:30 AM EDT
South Bend, Ind. - Neighbors living in one South Bend community say they're living in fear after months of violent crimes have plagued their streets, and now they says they are fed up.
Tonight, community members got together to voice concerns about the escalating violence and how they plan to stop it.
ABC 57 is sharing stories about life on the Westside. The people at Today's meeting at the Church of Holy Trinity Episcopal say they are scared and angry. They want to see some action taken, not only by police, but the entire community.
"Our fears are only going to be resolved if we get involved and raise our voices loud and clear," says life- long resident Melvin Holmes.
Melvin holmes' feelings mirror that of the dozens of people who also attended tonight's meeting. The life-long resident of South Bend says he, like everyone else, is fed up with the amount of crime in the area.
The meeting gave a chance for people to speak their mind and ask the questions important to them.
For Holmes the question was simple, "My question is, where are the parents?"
Neighbors say they are concerned that the people committing these crimes are almost always teenagers and that why the community says parents are to blame. Still this community wants to know what police are doing now, and police officers were quick to respond.
"We are doing lot of things that I can't talk about. But there are some things going on, that's including ATF, U.S. Marshalls, South Bend Police, and our undercover guys," says Sgt. Charles Stokes.
Yet police say they can't do it on their own, which is why they came to tonight's meeting to ask for the community's help and they weren't the only ones asking for help.
"I am working with the neighbors, I am working with the church, and with police to keep everyone safe as much as I can but I am only an individual, I need help from other people," says the OC store owner.
Abrahamowns the Olive Street Conveience Store, the store where a young boy was shot and killed just last month. He says his big concern is stopping other violent crimes from happening near his business again.
A feeling Holmes says continues to be echoed throughout the Westside. "The reoccuring theme is that individual home owners are concerned about their safety."
Neighbors plan to meet back at the Church of Holy Trinity off of Olive and Prast Streets next Wednesday to continue their fight against crime.