"While violent crime is a city-wide problem, there are significant things we can do in our own homes and neighborhoods to improve safety and stability," said Mayor Peyton. "When neighbors come together to address issues, positive changes occur."
The mayor has asked Boselli and his subcommittee to focus on several agenda items, with increased night time lighting as priority number one.
Statistics show that improved lighting in neighborhoods and around homes can reduce crime in an immediate and significant way. With that goal in mind, Mayor Peyton has already tasked city agencies to look for funding to add additional lights and/or increase the wattage of lights in neighborhoods experiencing a high volume of crime. The first neighborhood on the list is the area that contains Eureka Gardens. Additionally, he will seek funding to repair and replace sidewalks in those same areas.
While the lighting and sidewalk efforts will commence immediately, Boselli says his committee will focus on several other areas in the upcoming weeks. These areas include, but are not limited to, the following:
Partnerships to reopen closed community centers: Studies have shown that young people are more likely to commit – or become victims of – crimes between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., especially if left on their own. Yet current after school programs provided by various organizations in Duval County only reach an estimated 20 percent of children who need them. Peyton, Boselli and subcommittee members will work with area churches, neighborhoods, businesses and nonprofits to create, enhance and expand programs in local community centers.
Take back high school sports: When area high schools are forced to either cancel or reschedule athletic events due to high crime, residents need to mobilize. The neighborhood subcommittee will actively work with JSO, the Duval County Public Schools and the Law
Enforcement and Deterrence Subcommittee to demand and implement strategies to make all schools safe havens for children and bring neighbors and students back together.
Crime seminar with Rev. Eugene Rivers of the National Ten Point Leadership Foundation: The subcommittee will shortly announce the date of a one-day seminar with Rev. Rivers, a nationally recognized authority on the role of churches in community refurbishment.
Establish crime-free multifamily housing: Accountability for landlords will be increased by creating additional local licensing requirements for multifamily housing providers. The subcommittee will call for a zero tolerance policy for both guns and drugs and will help tenants form active neighborhood associations to enforce community by-laws.
Other subcommittee agenda items will include: the increased use of the Drug Abatement Response Team (DART), in conjunction with JSO; a call to resume and expand neighborhood walks; and an expansion of Seeds of Change programming. In addition, members will focus immediate attention on property foreclosures and improved code enforcement. These issues are critical to controlling both neighborhood stability and security.
At the close of today's press conference, Peyton reiterated his call to action on The Jacksonville Journey. "Government cannot do this alone. While community centers like the Bob Hayes Sports Complex are important assets for this city, the critical factor in the equation of neighborhood safety is the people themselves. Our city and other citizens can provide assistance, but it's the people who live, work and raise their families in troubled neighborhoods who will tip the scale in the right direction."