Pubdate: Thu, 20 May 2004
Source: Herald-Dispatch, The (WV)
Copyright: 2004 The Herald-Dispatch
Contact: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/hdinfo/letters.html
Website: http://www.hdonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1454
Author: Eric Fossell

NEW COUNCILWOMAN RALLIES COMMUNITY

Along with her dog "Tigger," Artisan Avenue resident Brandi Jacobs speaks 
with neighbor Trellis Tyson on Friday, May 14. Tyson has lived on Artisan 
Avenue for 26 years. Jacobs is trying to rally her neighbors and community 
service organizations to join efforts in elevating the community rather 
than trying to accomplish the task alone.

HUNTINGTON -- Brandi Jacobs watches with a heavy heart as drug deals go 
down in her neighborhood.

She sees youngsters -- some who should be exiting a school bus -- spending 
their days peddling crack-cocaine. But unlike many people in her community, 
Jacobs stands in a position to do something about drugs plaguing parts of 
Fairfield West. At only age 27, the Artisan Avenue resident has been 
elected as the Democratic nominee for the District 5 seat on Huntington 
City Council and faces no opposition in November.

The district includes areas where flashing police lights are as common a 
site as children playing outside. Between September 2003 and May 16, nearly 
21 percent of the city's 290 drug violations either occurred on Artisan 
Avenue or within a two-block vicinity, according to a Herald-Dispatch 
computer analysis of statistics compiled by the Huntington Police 
Department. A little more than six percent of the citywide violations 
occurred in the 1600 block of Artisan Avenue.

While the numbers are high, they have improved since a similar analysis was 
done by the newspaper last fall. The report showed that more than 10 
percent of citywide drug violations had occurred in the 1600 block of 
Artisan Avenue between January 2002 and the beginning of September 2003.

"We're not seeing as much of the street-level stuff," said HPD Sgt. Rocky 
Johnson. "A while back, it was every night that (drug dealers) were 
standing out there. It's two or three nights a week now."

While the improvement comes as welcome news, it's still not enough for 
police or residents, including Jacobs. She said she looks forward to the 
day when she can walk her dog Tigger without witnessing any drug transactions.

"It breaks my heart," she said as she watched a school bus pull up near her 
home. "It hurts me. I see the same-age men (as high school students) trying 
to make a dollar (dealing drugs). Where have we failed as a community that 
there's not a better option?"

Jacobs, who has a master's degree in public administration and is outreach 
coordinator for Ebenezer Medical Outreach, said relying solely on the 
police department is not enough. She said residents must be optimistic that 
conditions can change, and they must unite to actually do something.

"Imagine what we could do if we'd unify," she said. "If everyone in the 
community could reach five to 10 people, imagine what could be done."

Jacobs said she respects the efforts of the police department, and the 
respect is mutual. HPD Lt. Hank Dial said he has come to know Jacobs 
through community/police interaction in Fairfield West and is impressed by 
her articulateness and desire to make things better.

"I look forward to working with her in the future," he said. "She's bright 
and will make a real difference."

Jacobs, who was elected in 1999 as Marshall University's first 
African-American student body president, said strengthening the trust 
between Fairfield West residents and the police is among her top goals.

"People need to know that police officers are not the bad guy, and police 
need to know that every African-American male is not up to something 
(criminal)," she said. "It's a two-way street."

Jacobs said it is too simplistic to think that the citywide drug problem -- 
which has included an influx of dealers from Columbus, Ohio, and Detroit -- 
will be solved through community tips to the police and by arrests alone. 
She said economic development lies at the heart of the issue, and leaders 
must consider the impact their decisions will have locally. She said she 
remembers a time when Fairfield West residents could walk to buy groceries 
or have their hair cut or styled -- without the fear of drugs and guns.

"I would like to see businesses thrive in the community," she said. 
"Economic development is so important for our senior citizens. We have to 
stand firm about what's going to happen in our community."

The Rev. Paul Willis, pastor of First Baptist Church, 801 6th Ave., and a 
former Fairfield West resident, agreed, saying that the Central City area 
of West Huntington is a prime example of what can happen through overall 
community interaction.

"I look at the involvement it took to get it to that point," he said. "It's 
going to take everybody working together. . If we just say, 'Wait on the 
police department,' it's not going to happen."

 From merely a law enforcement standpoint, Johnson said the Fairfield West 
drug problem is gradually being eradicated because of adaptability and 
tactics. He said obtaining drugs is not as easy for a first-time buyer in 
the area.

"It's not a static thing," he said of the drug trade. "They move; we move 
right with them. They change their tactics; we change ours."

Johnson said officers are attacking drug traffickers "two or three nights a 
week steady," something that HPD Chief Arthur "Gene" Baumgardner said is 
making a difference.

"They're all working on an overtime basis," he said of the more than 30 
officers who have helped attack the problem. "They've really made a dent in 
crime, particularly drugs. It takes dedication to work like that."

Baumgardner and Johnson said tips from the community, especially to a 
confidential HPD recorded hotline at (304) 696-4444, have been extremely 
helpful. Johnson also alluded to the overall success of prosecuting local 
drug traffickers, as well as the stiff prison sentences that many guilty 
offenders have received.

Yet Jacobs and Willis maintain that the drug problem is more complex than 
most people are willing to admit. They said anyone with an attitude that 
"It's happening in their neighborhood, not mine," had better reconsider 
their thinking.

"We've had such a hands-off approach that people are afraid to get their 
hands dirty," Jacobs said. "People need to get their hands dirty."

Willis agreed, saying that he believes young leaders such as Jacobs and 
Mayor David Felinton will make a difference.

"The weight of the problem falls on the entire city," he said. "I see 
things moving in a very positive direction."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom