Addressing crime in Huntington, W.V.--the 'big elephant in the room'

Create Huntington starts crime group

by Clark Davis

October 1, 2009 | West Virginia Public Broadcasting | Huntington, West Virginia

"Create Huntington (WV) is a group of citizens that meet once a week to come up with new ideas on how to better the city...This winter they will conduct forums to discuss the ideas [to improve livability and safety within the community]."

Create Huntington is a group of citizens that meet once a week to come up with new ideas on how to better the city. Within Create Huntington, groups focus on everything from planting flowers and beautifying the city to recruiting creative businesses to the area.

Businesswoman Anne Durham of Create Huntington has worked to put together the Crime and Safety group. She says the group couldn’t ignore one of Huntington’s biggest problems.

“We’re doing a lot of important things in Huntington to improve city livability, but safety, that’s kind of the big elephant in the room, that’s kind of the big thing that we have to address and take care of,” Durham said.

As part of the safety initiative, Create Huntington is partnering with West Virginia Center for Civic Life, Everyday Democracy and local neighborhood organizations and law enforcement agencies.

First, Durham says they will survey Huntington residents on their Web site. This winter they will conduct forums to discuss the ideas. 

“I hope that everyone realizes that we all have a responsibility, as we often hear some of the law enforcement folks in our group say, we can’t just arrest the problem,” Durham said.

One group partnering with Create Huntington is the Weed and Seed project through the Huntington Police Department. The Weed and Seed office is located in a high crime area where they host community events and establish a police presence.

Program Director Tim White says it’s about giving communities the knowledge about how to act.

“What we hope is that these meetings become a catalyst for them working together, whether they create block captains, whether they have picnics, whether they create crime watch programs,” White said.

White says this isn’t about people carrying firearms and fighting back themselves.

“It’s not about giving people guns and badges and sticks and vigilantism and going up and down their blocks, it’s about being more aware of their surroundings, who should be in your neighborhood and who shouldn’t be in your neighborhood and do what you can to protect yourself and pass that information on to law enforcement,” White said.

White says people are tired of sitting by idly.

“Three of the biggest drug busts we’ve had in Huntington in the last two months took place directly because of tips from the community,” White said.

In October, Create Huntington will host the Create West Virginia conference where ideas like these will be discussed by people from all around the state.

http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=11491