Shaw urges residents to fight back

Sarasota City Commissioner Willie Shaw told about 100 District 1 constituents during a Jan. 12 community forum that it’s time for them to step up and fight back against crime in Newtown neighborhoods.

During the forum, Shaw introduced a new program called “Operation Ceasefire.” The program, Shaw said, brings gang members into meetings with community members they respect, along with social-services representatives who can help them, and police officers, who are dedicated to helping gang members change their lives.

The long-term goal of making Newtown safer, Shaw said, requires efforts by all community residents, including local ministers and the use of community outreach programs.

The program will involve the assistance of its creator, criminologist David Kennedy, who has devoted his career to reducing gang- and drug-related inner-city violence.

Shaw said he hopes the new program will help Sarasota better address the problem, which has been underscored by statistics. Seven of the city’s eight murders in 2011 were recorded in Newtown.

Kennedy’s program has reduced the homicide rate in Boston by 66%. Now dubbed “The Boston Miracle,” the program has been implemented in more than 70 cities nationwide.

The Sarasota City Commission has said it will approve a future budget expenditure to send police officers and city leaders to High Point, N.C., to see how the concept worked in that community.

The strategy incorporates a thorough examination of the public’s perception of the police force; at the same time it promotes community involvement to help reduce crime. Part of the program, Shaw said, involves offering repeat drug offenders second chances, with help from community leaders and their families.

“You can’t put everyone in jail and think you’ve solved all the problems,” Shaw said during the forum. “We can’t wave a magic wand that will make our problems go away.”

He added that the concept also involves educational strategies.

During the forum, Sarasota Police Chief Mikel Holloway reiterated Shaw’s point by revealing that 50 suspected drug dealers arrested in Newtown had been placed in custody a total of 274 times.

“We need you help more than ever,” said Holloway, pointing out the arrests have not curtailed the problems.

The City Commission unanimously agreed during an informal workshop in December that if local officials are unable to halt the increase in homicides in North Sarasota, crime is going to inch closer to downtown Sarasota.

Former City Manager Bob Bartolotta promised the commission last month the city is addressing the situation, but he said increasing the police presence in Newtown can’t solve the problem.

“This is not just a police issue, it’s a community issue that everyone needs to buy into,” Bartolotta said.
Shaw is hopeful the new program will succeed.

“The dynamics of violence we have here are broader than just putting people in jail,” Shaw said. “There is a change coming, and you are a part of it.”

Click here to view Sarasota crime comparisons to Tampa