park closing
Teachers feel pressure
By LES HIGH
Whiteville Parks and Recreation Department Director Tim Collier grew up a few blocks from Westside Park. He’s said he’s “saddened and disgusted” to see the park closed, but he says it’s the right decision.
“When I was growing up, we played in mud puddles,” Collier said. “People kept saying, ‘We’re going to build you a park, we’re going to build you a park, but it never happened.’ Now that we’ve got this beautiful park, look what’s happened. If we’re going to keep the park open, the community is going to have to step up and help us. Otherwise, it isn’t worth all the time and money we put into it. I would have been playing at this park every day if we’d have had it when I was a kid.”
The condition of the park belies the problems that occur there. The bright green rye grass is neatly trimmed, there is no litter and the basketball and tennis court and playground are well kept. But keeping the park in good shape is an ongoing battle, Collier said. Vandalism often occurs and city police recently charged a man for doing doughnuts on the tennis court with his motorcycle. Damage is estimated at $600 and restitution has not yet been paid.
“These people have got to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and be held accountable for damages,” he said.
Collier’s biggest concern is that gangs have a major presence in the area. The park, he said, has become a meeting area for these gangs. Many gang members are from out of town.
“We know it’s not all local people but the locals are letting them get away with it,” he said. “The people in that community have got to be our eyes and ears. We’ve got to get a handle on this thing, but it won’t happen unless the people get involved. The people who live there can stop it. All they have to do is call.”
Harritan: concern for players
Whiteville Optimist Club member Don Harritan, who has been heavily involved in the Dixie Youth baseball program, said that security at the two Optimist ballfields behind Central is an issue.
“Obviously, we’re very concerned about it,” Harritan said. “We appreciate the extra attention the police department has given the situation since the incident last Thursday. The city has done the right thing by closing the park, but it’s a shame because we need (safe) parks everywhere.”
Harritan said burglars regularly break into the concession stand and steal valuables.
“It gets loud over at the park, but you’re going to have that with outside basketball,” he said. “You’ll see some reckless driving in the parking lot.”
But Harritan said he doesn’t see an easy solution.
“I suppose if we had an option to move our facilities to a safer area, we would, but financially, I don’t see that happening,” he said.
Troy: Bring back community policing
City Councilman Harold Troy, a retired educator who taught for many years at Central, said that the demise of community policing has hurt the west side of town.
Community policing seeks to involve residents in policing efforts and to get officers to develop personal, one-on-one contact and relationships with community members. Troy said former police chief Randall Aragon initiated community policing, and relationships with the police department were better.
The relationship is not so good now, he said.
“Many of our folks don’t trust the police,” Troy said. “There’s a few gung-ho policemen who like to manhandle people. It’s not like it used to be.”
Troy said that the west side used to be a thriving community. There were businesses 20 years ago where now there are hardly any. Drugs have become a primary source of income for many.
People also took more pride in their homes then, said Troy, who was raised in the area. Now, second- and third-generation offspring have taken control of many houses and they lease them to the first person who can pay the rent. Sometimes, these renters are drug dealers.
Indifference is another problem. Troy and Councilman Jimmy Clarida say meetings have been set in the community to hear peoples’ concerns, but attendance hasn’t been what it should be.
There needs to be more discussion about how to solve the problems of the west side, Troy said, and finding ways to make it a more vibrant area would be a good start. “Drug dealers tend to move into areas that are not being used.
“We tend to be firemen and deal with the most recent crisis but there’s been a lot of neglect in the community,” said Troy.
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By BOB HIGH
Gang violence at city-owned Westside Park that has spilled over to housing areas surrounding Central Middle School has prompted officials to completely close the park.
A horrendous beating of a 19-year-old on March 10 by several gang members using their fists and feet, plus someone firing at least four shots on March 14 from the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue — the street that fronts Central Middle School — are the most recent violent incidents. (See related story Page 6-A of the printed edition.)
“It boils down to a major safety issue, and it’ll be closed until we get a better handle on the problems there,” City Manager Susan Rhodes said. She met with Police Chief Jerry Britt several times in recent days on the issue and said Britt was responsible for any police action.
Britt said gangs of teens, some believed to be led by males in their early 20s, are causing the problem. He said they’re from the Brunswick-Whiteville area, plus Chadbourn and Tabor City.
Britt said he could not identify the reasons for the violence, but he believed it involved the sale of drugs and territories staked out by certain gangs. “We know there is activity other than the sale and use of drugs, but we believe this is the major reason behind the violence,” the chief noted.
Gangs identified
Britt has identified one group known as the “Circle Boys,” mainly young males from the Stanley Circle area on the southeast side of Whiteville in the Brunswick community.
Another gang known as the “Bloods” is centered in Chadbourn and is part of the problem on the west side of Whiteville.
“We’ve got gangs that gather in Whiteville and more than half the people involved in the gangs live outside Whiteville,” the police chief said.
A third gang that has been mentioned as “Black Knights” and is centered on the west side area here is also known to frequent the park, and there is a fourth group that is reportedly allied with the “Black Knights” that has formed here.
Two juvenile-age teens were recently banned from the park after District Court Judge Marion Warren learned of violence problems during juvenile court hearings.
Gang signals and boasting is seen frequently in Central Middle and Whiteville High schools here, with black and red bandanas showing at certain angles from pants pockets, or pants being cuffed in a particular fashion sending signals to students.
Bandanas confiscated
The News Reporter has learned from middle and high school students that there is fear on both campuses from the gangs, and police officers at both schools here have a large collection of bandanas because police and school officials confiscate them.
Britt said police have learned that there are fringe groups of teens that may not be members of any particular gang, but they support the gangs’ activities.
“We’ve put two police officers at the school and on the property of Optimist Field when the ballgames are taking place. We will have at least two officers there each night until the games end,” Britt declared.
In addition, Britt said he, Major Mike Cutchin and Lt. Bill Costello now drive to the west side of the city several times a week, park and walk around the neighborhood, helping show the presence of police. And, license checkpoints are established often on the west side of Whiteville, and this has cut down on traffic and the presence of non-Whiteville people.
“We were at the park breaking up a fight after we had been called to another fight in the Columbus Court area (along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue), when the four shots were fired. It was about 4 p.m. last Tuesday (March 14),” the police chief said.
“We don’t know the reason for the fights. We don’t know if it was over drugs or just somebody moving in or being in a gang’s territory,” Britt continued.
Very quiet now
“It’s been very quiet for the last week and we haven’t had to run anyone out of the park,” the chief added.
Britt noted that several lights have been installed in and around the park at the end of West Columbus Street, but they are usually shot out within a few days.
“We’re not satisfied, but we’re somewhat pleased that the violence has stopped,” Britt said. He said police officers on regular patrol now often park and walk up and down the west side streets.
The west side of Whiteville, including the Columbus Court Apartments down to Virgil Street (Pine Log Road) has seen frequent policing.
“The large majority of people living in this area are law-abiding citizens and they certainly don’t like having all this violence in their neighborhoods. Many of them area scared and they have a right to be frightened,” Britt noted.
Police records show a major violent event took place in April 2005 during a middle school baseball game between Shallotte and Central teams. A local man was shot in his arm on the park property and the suspect, with pistol in his hand, fled onto the school property where he was captured.
The Shallotte school notified Central authorities after the game they would not return to the Central campus for any outside function.
Three other shooting incidents took place last spring while Dixie Youth baseball teams were practicing. Some of the coaches, who asked to not be identified, said the violence has gotten out of hand and they were considering finding another place to practice and play regularly scheduled games.
“The city and the police have got to take control the park. Keeping it shut won’t solve the problems,” one coach said.
“It’s ironic that the shooting last week was also on a ballgame day, but this time the Central team was playing at Evergreen,” City Manager Rhodes pointed out.
“Right now we’re doing all we can do, and it’s quiet,” the police chief added.