Pubdate: Sun, 26 Aug 2007
Source: Star-Gazette (NY)
Copyright: 2007sStar-Gazette
Contact:  http://www.stargazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1005
Author: G. Jeffrey Aaron

DRUG ARRESTS DON'T ALLAY FEARS

Elmira Residents Who Live Near Raided Homes Say They're Still Worried.

It's not the drug dealers that make Deanna Coolbaugh, of Davis 
Street, apprehensive.

It's the unpredictable nature of their customers and their 
habit-supporting petty crimes that she and her neighbors worry about.

Coolbaugh lives less than a half-block away from two of the nine 
apartments that were raided by police Thursday. Nineteen suspected 
drug dealers were arrested during the initial sweep and two others 
were arrested on Friday. Police say more arrests are pending and 
those already in custody face a variety of state and federal charges.

Coolbaugh and others who would not give their names but also live 
near the raided apartment were pleased that 21 drug pushers have been 
taken off the streets. But they also said it is just a matter of time 
before they are replaced by new drug pushers.

"I'm not afraid of the dealers, I'm more afraid of the crackheads and 
what they'll do," she said. "I still feel safe because everyone knows 
I'm a mother of three small children and I don't have anything."

For the most part, Hathorn Court -- where Coolbaugh lives and where 
two of the drug houses were located -- has been relatively quiet, 
when compared to past summers.

"People are getting their tires slashed, and it's noisy, people party 
until 3 a.m.," said Melissa Peterson, who lives on Warnick Street. 
"People talk about having guns. I think it's just talk because I 
haven't heard any gunshots. But I was living on the corner of Fifth 
and Magee streets when (Anthony Hall) was killed so after that, a 
drug bust is nothing to me."

Peterson and Coolbaugh both said they were not surprised by 
Thursday's drug sweep. But they also said they doubted the long-range 
effectiveness of the arrests.

"It was just a matter of time before these ones got arrested, but 
they'll never get rid of them. (The dealers) will find a vulnerable 
single mom, and throw some money at her. That's how a lot of them get 
in here and the police are just getting the small fish," said Coolbaugh.

Peterson said if those arrested get out of jail, it's likely they'll 
return to their old drug-dealing ways.

"That's the only way to get money in a place like this, unless you 
want to work two or three jobs, which is crazy. But I'm that kind of 
crazy," she said.

Keith Callear, who lives on Walnut Street near another apartment 
raided by police Thursday, learned of the early morning raids as he 
walked by the apartment house and saw police preparing to execute 
their search warrant.

"They had the battering ram and were peeking in the windows," he 
said. "One of the police had his hand on his gun, so it wasn't hard 
to figure out what was going on. But I wasn't surprised because I've 
seen the foot traffic in and out of there. They got rid of 21 of 
them, and that's good, but there are probably 40 replacements waiting 
to come in."

However, Callear said the arrests haven't made him feel any safer, 
and like Coolbaugh, he's especially concerned about the muggings and 
robberies that seem to follow the drug trade.

"I make sure I'm home before dark and I don't carry more than $20 in 
my pocket, so what does that tell you?" he said.
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