Ithaca is certainly not a perfect place. Many of the problems which plague cities with less resources than Ithaca are still present in this Ivy League outpost. From the Ithaca Journal:
Ithaca's West Hill a community in conflict
Andrew Casler,
acasler@ithacajournal.com | @AndrewCasler 4:38 p.m. EDT October 17, 2014
On a sunny, early-fall afternoon, parents look on as small children playfully call for one another and run across sidewalks at the West Village Apartments.
This pleasant scene is contrasted, however, by a history of high-profile violent crime, and many in Tompkins County consider the West Hill neighborhood one of the most dangerous in Ithaca. Incidents and statistics support that impression.
The apartment complex was the site where Jamel Booker, of Ithaca, shot Ithaca Police Officer Tony Augustine on Oct. 11 2012.
During a brawl a year later, Dante D. Sweat, of Ithaca, attempted murder, endangered the welfare of a child, burglarized a residence and assaulted women with a knife, stabbing one victim in the throat.
Numbers show a deeper problem. The West Hill neighborhood leads the city for violent crime, determined by by average number of reports to police between 2011 and 2013. Ithaca Police Department data show:
• Reported assaults (21)
• Domestic disturbances (149)
• Gunshot or penetrating traumas (5)
• Shots fired (15)
And West Hill had the second highest average, next to Northside/downtown, for disputes or fights in progress, 205; harassment, 184; sex offenses, five; and weapons, two.
City leaders, police, building owners and West Hill residents recognize the severity of the problems, partly attributed to drugs, isolation and tension between police and residents. Money has been invested in more patrols, community policing and neighborhood gatherings. It's too soon to tell whether those efforts are working, but all agree there is more work to be done.
Joeanna Deas, a West Village resident, said she loves the views from her apartment, but violent crime in the area has led her to stay inside with her doors locked after nightfall.
"In the daytime I feel OK, but at nighttime I don't feel so comfortable, and that's why I try to be in before dark," Deas said.
A neighbor, Michele Mills, of Abbott Lane, recognizes West Village can have a peaceful atmosphere, too, and enjoys talking with her neighbors about improving the neighborhood.
She said people throughout Tompkins County can stereotype West Village residents as dangerous criminals.
"They don't realize that we, just like everybody else, walk on two feet, we want to live, we want our children to have a life that's good," Mills said. "We want role models for our children ... role models to make them want to be something when they grow up."
The West Village Apartment complex consists of one long building at the top of the area and sections of one and two story apartments lower on the hill.(Photo: SIMON WHEELER/STAFF PHOTO)
Source of crime
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick attributed West Hill's high violent crime rate in part to geographical isolation.
Transportation for West Hill residents is difficult, making it hard for youngsters to stay for after-school activities and for others to apply for jobs, he said.
"If your parents have to work two jobs, or if you have a single parent, sometimes that means you can't get that after-school job, you can't stay after and join the chess club, which depresses your other activities," Myrick said.
"What's true all over the country is drugs — drugs drive crime," Myrick added. "They drive property crimes, violent crimes because you have addicts who are driven to steal to feed their addiction, you have dealers who use violence to protect their trade."
Shawn Chilson, a West Village resident, said he was moving out because the neighborhood is a bad environment for his son.
He said the neighborhood doesn't offer a lot of activities for kids.
"A lot of kids raise a lot of hell," Chilson said. "There are kids running amok at midnight; there's stuff getting broke."
Chilson added that police often drive through the West Village parking lot, but officers often don't get out of the car and talk with people.
"It's just that, they drive by," he said. "If they see something going on, they stop, but if they don't see anything they just keep it moving and go on to the next street," he said.
Police seek inroads
Ithaca Police Chief John Barber said he's focused on beating West Hill crime by creating relationships with residents and moving beyond that drive-by image.
"By and large, you have a lot of good people living up on West Hill in some of these housing units, and unfortunately you also have some people who have other motives, whether it be to sell drugs or commit crime, etc.," Barber said.
Dan Banas, of Seattle, tries on some of the Ithaca Police Department’s equipment as he and his sister Susan Brown of Ithaca, and a resident of West Village, tour the IPD’s SWAT vehicle during community gathering held in August by the management company of the West Village apartment complex. SIMON WHEELER/Staff Photo (Photo: The Ithaca Journal ID 1 216188, SIMON WHEELER/Staff Photo)
Owner of the West Village apartment complex, Omni New York LLC. authorized $12,000 funding for extra police patrols at the apartment complex in August 2013.
Newer statistics to show whether that effort has helped are not yet available.
On the beat, Jamie Williamson is one of the Ithaca police officers engaging in patrols to foster relationships on West Hill.
"We want folks to see that we are there to help them out," Williamson said. "We realize that these person-to-person connections that we make on these patrols play an integral role in helping to establish and/or reestablish these relationships," Williamson said.
"As a police officer, if you're just in a car and you drive by and wave to somebody, that's nice, but you're really not going to get that personal connection that we know is so integral to helping foster these relationships."
Williamson said during one patrol a boy who was skateboarding talked with police officers, and after seeing police equipment, said that he wanted to be a cop when he grew up.
The relationships can pay dividends for police work, too, Williamson said, noting witnesses are more likely to share information if they trust police.
Neighbors seek change
Seeing the crime reports, West Hills resident Mills decided to try to address the issues in her neighborhood with community organizing and tenant patrols.
"I said, 'You know what, maybe if we come together as a family it could be different,' " she said.
West Village residents line up for cotton candy and shaved ice during an August party held by the management company of the large privately owned apartment complex.(Photo: The Ithaca Journal ID 1 216188, SIMON WHEELER/Staff Photo)
A lot of people come into West Village, commit crimes and then leave, Mills added. "We tenants have to take a stand."
She began hosting community cafes at the West Village Apartment complex community room, where tenants gather for food, childcare and community organizing.
And for the last two years she has sometimes gone around the apartment complex conducting a "tenant patrol," she said. Mills makes sure that children are safe and they're being watched by parents during patrols.
"Instead of low (self) esteem, a lot of people have no esteem, so build up your esteem," she said. "Know that you can be anything that you want to be, all you've got to do is try, put your first foot forward and the second one will follow it."
Police, meanwhile, continue to patrol, hoping to connect with West Hill residents and find a community driven solution to the neighborhood's crime.
"Nobody wants crime where they live and the police department can't do it alone," Barber said. "It really takes the efforts of a community to help resolve and stop these issues that occur."
Follow Andrew Casler on Twitter: @AndrewCasler
Findings
• West Hill police beat had the highest average in the city for reported assaults, 21; domestic disturbances, 149; gunshot or penetrating traumas, five; and shots fired, 15 from 2011-2013.
• Police and city leaders acknowledge the problem, and they are working to foster relationships on West Hill and reduce violent crime. Neighbors are seeking solutions by holding community events.
• Perceptions still exist that it's not safe to be outside at night and police aren't doing enough to curb crime.
Here's the link:
http://www.ithacajournal.com/story/n...rime/17447613/