Southside residents march to support SPPD

[Tom]

A revolution has come to south St. Pete. Hundreds came out for 2 marches in 2 weeks to "Stop the Madness". Families of homicide victims are demanding residents start reporting crime instead of looking the other way. (What a concept!) The "code of silence" seems to have vanished. The stupidity of not cooperating with police giving way to pride in standing up against violent crime. News media give crime watch high profile, positive news for a change.

Three weeks ago 8-year-old Paris Whitehead-Hamilton died in a senseless attack on one of her family members. Tampa Bay was in shock over the tender age of the innocent victim and the brutality of the assault weapon attack.

While family and neighbors were grieving 2 days after Paris was killed, Bartlett Park Crime Watch held it's regular monthly meeting. 50 people came instead of the usual dozen and the Times put the story at the top of page 1. Family members of Malayshia Gamble, another girl shot in this neighborhood came to crime watch demanding that residents start reporting crime to police.

In years past, spasms of death and violence in this city were met with finger-pointing, name-calling — even rock throwing.

But when the Bartlett Park Crime Watch gathered Tuesday — the murder of an 8-year-old girl still fresh in their minds — residents found somebody new to blame:

Themselves.

"We sit back, close our mouths, then point fingers when something happens at the police," said Carolyn Newson. "Until that changes, we will continue to bury our young."

Newson has done just that. Her 15-year-old niece, Malayshia Gamble, was found shot dead in January on Preston Avenue S.

2 days later the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Paris' family announced "Connect the Dots", a campaign to urge people to call in tips on Paris' murder. Posters started going up all over the neighborhood with Paris' photo and the homicide phone number. This campaign is using anger to move people to take action. The "code of silence" is quickly being replaced with "Connect the Dots".

This no snitch culture suddenly went into hiding because it never made any sense for anyone but criminals and it was never embraced by the majority. I'll get some arguments on this but my crime watch experience tells me that most people don't report crime because of fear, apathy and lack of training. They assume police know about drug sales on the corner so why waste time telling cops something they and everyone else in the neighborhood already know all too well. Add to that frustration when understaffed officers take forever to respond to a call or when the caller's useless description doesn't lead to anything. Fear is there and 50 gunshots in a home can only intensify that fear, yet anger over this killing has brought many to overcome fear of retaliation. Crime watch is working to eliminate that fear. Simple tips like "don't give your own address when you make an anonymous call" so the officer will go to the drug house and not your house, will let people know they can remain anonymous. When people are willing to give their name and become witnesses we will come closer to the rest of Pinellas in safety. Leaders like Crime Watch coordinator Ms. Willeen Kelly are proud to stand up with police. Her photo on the cover of the Neighborhood Times 2 weeks ago set an example of someone who can stand up without fear.

This leaves out the hard core who embrace "no snitchin", the criminals, their friends, misguided youth and wannabees who think its cool to not cooperate with authorities. These folks can get $1,500 from the new gun bounty program by turning in someone they don't like, or at least someone they don't like as much as they like the money.

Put it all together and we are on the verge of returning southside residents to a normal state, restoring peace and using citizen provide intelligence to put bad guys on the run.

We won't let this newly found enthusiasm die down. This is our chance to close the drug houses and run the dealers out of town. You can do your part by encouraging residents to fight for their neighborhood and keep this momentum going.

Links: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publics...icle990535.ece
http://www.bartlettpark.net/2009/04/...re-before.html
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publics...icle991388.ece
http://newsouthstpete.blogspot.com/2...t-illegal.html
http://www.tampabay.com/news/humanin...2.ece#comments

[Tom]

Just when things were going so well we have this absurd "offer". This "No Snitchin'", crack dealers best friend, movement is back and the press is pretending its news.

I wondered what the 6 Uhurus were doing Saturday when they joined our march for peace. Well they're back.

The Tampa Tribune's Steven Thompson tell us

"This is not a joke," said Chimurenga Waller, president of the organization, said during a news conference outside the St. Petersburg Police Department. "We are very serious."

Except is is a joke, but not funny when inciting hatred of police empowers teen age gangsters to brutalize a neighborhood. The Trib should be ashamed of this poorly researched piece. No effort was made to look beyond the Uhuru press release. Where is the news in this "story"? Here is the link: http://suncoastpinellas.tbo.com/cont...-silence/news/
The absurdity continues

The activist group is not a fan of the city's gun bounty program, which was announced Friday. Waller said it was ridiculous to spent $1,500 to elicit information on assault weapons when 71 percent of the mainly black population in south St. Petersburg lives at the poverty line. The money, he said, would be better spent if it went toward economic development in the area.

Southside residents are moving beyond this foolishness. Here are some photos from the pro police march and rally last Saturday wher 400 came out: http://www.bartlettpark.net/2009/04/...-out-this.html
And the Gun Bounty program in other Florida cities: http://newsouthstpete.blogspot.com/2...t-illegal.html

It is so sad a young girl died. Truth is, had an Offcier or white girl died, there would be no out pour of support for the police or to stop the drug dealing thugs!

So when is this great city going to actually grow a set and call the Uhuru's out for what they are?

They're nothing but a bunch of racists that turn anything and everything they can into a race war. A white cop shoots a black man with a gun it's racist but if a white cop shoots a white guy with a gun it's a good thing? WTF am I missing here.

Maybe they should spend some time parenting their kids a teaching them that if a cop tells you to do something you do it, maybe explain that if you point a gun at a cop you will most likely be shot, what a concept the common issue is the threat presented the criminals color is an after thought not the deciding factor.

We really need a new crew in some controlling spots to actually say it how it is and fix some issues. I wonder how much of this will change if Baker, Davis and Harmon. Maybe we'll actually get some real stats too, sorry I forgot crimes down in the city this year thanks to some officers going door to door asking if people are having problems in their neighborhood.

And to HP/Bunny, all you do is try pushing the cycle even further for the worse, hopefully you both go rot somewhere when you saviors are gone I'm sure you'll be sitting in Pianolas county for something with the rest of your innocent friends.

[Tom]

Bartlett Park Crime Watch

Bartlett Park Crime Watch is accepting applications for a Citizen's Patrol Training Class and invites volunteers to join our patrol.

Crime Watch is using this project to keep street drug sales from returning to Bartlett Park.

Volunteer teams will drive through the neighborhood for an hour or two in a vehicle marked with a crime watch magnetic sign and wearing a crime watch shirt. St. Petersburg Police Department Community Service Officers will coordinate this activity. Vehicles will have a driver, observer and radio operator. Groups of 2 or 3 vehicles will travel up and down neighborhood streets communicating with 2 way radios. Any suspicious activity, graffiti, or illegal dumping will be reported. This will take place during the after school hours. Volunteers will keep a safe distance away from suspected criminal activity and have no contact with suspects. They will call in a description and let officers investigate.

Other neighborhood groups desiring to start a patrol are welcome to attend this training.


For more information contact the Bartlett Park Community Resource Center at 727-826-9774.

http://www.bartlettpark.net/2008/12/...uesday-at.html
http://<br /> <a href="http://www.ba...-this.html</a>

Will SPPD be issuing an armored car for them to drive and also helmets and vests? The fools on the southside are just that, fools. And one is sure to take aim from behind a bush at a car marked with a crime watch decal.

Ask Go, Cedric, and others to volunteer to drive without their guns and see if they'll accept the offer...

Will SPPD be issuing an armored car for them to drive and also helmets and vests? The fools on the southside are just that, fools. And one is sure to take aim from behind a bush at a car marked with a crime watch decal.

Ask Go, Cedric, and others to volunteer to drive without their guns and see if they'll accept the offer...

No one can win with you people can they??? First, you complain that the citizens WHO PAY YOUR WAGES dont help your quest against crime. Then, when they try to help, you complain about that.
Come off it and get a grip.

[Tom]

Its common for people to warn us gangsters will shoot but that's pretty much a myth. A widely believed myth. Sure, they shoot each other all the time but they haven't yet hurt one of our members. We've been doing this since 1991.

Sadly most of our members have a connection with these bad kids. They may be family members, related to friends, or kids we watched grow up. They may hate us but we try not to hate them. We pray, forgive and trust God to protect us. We will stop them from hurting us and each other.

The key is to follow the SPPD rules and not make it personal with criminals. For them its a business. They know how to bluff and bully until someone stands up to them and then they go somewhere else to sell.

Some well intentioned residents don't want to follow crime watch rules and do so at considerable risk.

Our officers show them respect and courtesy as they make an arrest. Why stir up a guy with a history of violence?

A gang is where a coward goes to hide

Missing from all of this is cooperation from the worthless state attorney's office.

They need to prosecute the criminals who commit crimes rather than giving them one pass after the next.

All of those suspected in Paris' death were repeat offenders. When will the victims of these crimes call out Bernie McCabe and the idiots on 49th st? This includes judges and even police officers who push to have folks charged with crimes that are non-violent and often times victimless.

Cleaning up the southside will take a coordinated effort by its residents and those prosecuting the criminals among us. Until that happens, we'll continue to see high levels of violence.