Hampton, Newport News ask: What are the answers to violence?

July 17--Two community meetings on Tuesday night -- one in Newport News and another in Hampton -- discussed a recurring issue:

Crime and what can be done about it.

Newport News held a forum at the Downing-Gross Community Center in the city's southeast section. The city's youth and gang violence prevention program wants to develop a "strategic plan to address crime for the next three years."

In Hampton, meantime, residents gathered at a home in Olde Wythe to talk about what can be done about an uptick in gunfire, theft and other crime -- and complaints about how long it took police to respond to a June shooting outside the home. Some Wythe residents said they are "fed up" and have decided to come up with their own solutions to crime to present to city leaders.

Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew -- a former assistant chief in Richmond who began in his new job on July 2 -- has made it a priority to go out and meet people in the community, in part to build bridges and encourage people to work with the police. So far on the job, he said, the main question he's asked is: "What are we going to do about crime in our city?"

And he voices confidence that strides can be made.

"We are putting violent crime on the front burner of this organization," Drew said of the Newport News Police Department. "We will reduce crime with all of us working together. That may be pie in the sky, but I believe 100 percent that it's possible. If I didn't, I wouldn't be sitting here."

The efforts, he said, will include strong law enforcement -- everything from making arrests and traffic stops, conducting surveillance and using confidential informants -- combined with reaching out "to engage the citizens."

"Every citizen in every community of this city plays a role in the reduction of violent crime," Drew said.

Newport News has tallied 17 homicides so far this year. That includes 16 in the police department's jurisdiction and another -- a deadly shooting on Interstate 64 -- in the province of the Virginia State Police. That compares to 11 homicides in the Newport News as of this date in 2017; the city finished with 25 slayings for the year.

Arrests have proved difficult to come by this year, with only four of this year's 17 killings -- or just under a quarter of them -- cleared by arrest, with the other 13 still unsolved. Shootings are up, as well, with 54 shootings so far this year, up from 39 at this point in 2017, said police spokesman Brandon Maynard.

Drew walked into his new job in Newport News just after a rash of killings in late June and said he wasn't going to abide that crime.

"We are not going to tolerate the criminal element preying on the good people in this community," he vowed. "We are going to move very swiftly to address those individuals -- overtly and covertly. We are going to make arrests. We are going to remove guns ... We are going to remove illegal narcotics on our streets. A lot of those indicators seem to be at play before some of the violence occurs."

Building trust, he said, will come in part by taking all citizen complaints seriously.

"If I don't respond to the citizen complaints in a timely manner, I lose their trust," Drew said. "There's lights out or loud noise or an individual that's drunk in public -- if I don't respond to those things, they're not going to call me on the big things ... I need to show them that we're responsive. I need those citizens. I need to take those complaints and issues -- their fears, whatever it may be -- because the more trust we build, the more forward they will be. ... This is not just one dimensional. We cannot do it without the community's help and assistance."

About 100 people -- including police officers and other city employees and officials -- attended the session at Downing Gross on Tuesday. People broke up into groups to discuss the role of the community and government agencies in addressing the violence.

"The community knows more and sees more than we do," said MaRhonda Echols, head of Building Better Futures, the city's youth and gang violence prevention initiative. Bringing people into the process, Echols said, will serve to hold the city accountable with following through.

Once discussions were opened up, conversations at each table erupted with ideas.

One table of six women suggested taking "neighborhood watch" and other initiatives and making them more appealing to young people. The group agreed that people needed to get over assumptions about the way a person chooses to dress or where they hang out and be open to approaching them and inviting them to be part of the neighborhood.

Part of helping young people avoid trouble, they said, is to start at the home and reaching out to young parents. A recurring theme in the groups was meeting young people where they are and adjusting to their concerns and desires. Another idea: More work programs to set young people up with jobs when they finish school.

Along with refrains of engaging youth, teaching responsibility and providing opportunities, people were adamant that some action had to be taken.

"I've heard this kind of conversation before," said Larry Gibson, after telling the story of how his son and nephew were murdered. "I'm tired of hearing the same old jargon from some of the same old people."

"If you're really, really, really willing to be real, to get down to the village and put your hands on these people, to hug 'em up and love 'em up you ain't doing nothing but talking," Gibson said.

Across the city line

Meanwhile, in Hampton, a few dozen neighbors gathered Tuesday evening at the Wythe home of Beverly and Robert Stammler to talk about what can be done about an uptick in gunfire and other crime in the area.

It's not all bad in Hampton.

So far this year, Hampton is on pace to be below last year's homicide count. The city has had seven homicides so far this year. That compares with 10 killings at this point in 2017, when it finished with 18 homicides. Of the seven slayings in 2018, four have been cleared by arrest and one has been ruled justified, for a clearance rate of 71 percent.

Still, a June 13 incident involving a shooting near the couple's home -- with 27 rounds fired and many 9 mm casings discovered -- sparked the need to meet, the Stammlers say.

Robert Stammler, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, and his wife decided to act. Since 2014, they say, the area has seen an increase in gunfire, more theft and "nonstop" panhandling in the Food Lion parking lot.

"I would like to come up with some good solid ideas of how to fight crime in this community," Beverly Stammler said on her front lawn Tuesday. "We had lots of thefts of the people's yards and it's gotten out of hand. Nobody is taking any action. It seems to be getting a little worse every day. We need to start approaching the city and asking them what we want done."

At the meeting, residents came up with ideas such as stiffer penalties in the courts, a private police patrol, more street lighting, and additional city patrols. They also want a better education system.

Several educational leaders weighed in the topic Tuesday as well.

Idonia K. Barrett, who teaches sociology and criminal justice at Hampton University, said communities can find solutions to the violence they are experiencing. But, she said, "There's not just one way to find an answer, and not every city needs the same methods."

"It's an effort from all persons involved -- (from) the residents to the police officers, from the public officials, even the librarians, the teachers and the resource officers," Barrett said. "Everyone who makes up the community ... All the members should be represented. It's not just a cop thing. It really encompasses everyone."

Residents can increase lighting around their homes, reduce the shrubbery and install security cameras, she said. And people can take simple steps, such as knowing who their neighbors are. Barrett said people have become isolated in recent years, breaking down social bonds and making it hard to notice when something is out of the ordinary. Having a conversation starts the process, Barrett said.

Alfreada Brown-Kelly, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at HU, said the power of the clergy is what is needed. "They have a lot of influence on the community and the laymen in the church," she said. "It's time that they get together and figure out what they can do more of. It's time for them to be put into action."

"Many people in the community are afraid to come forward in fear of retaliation," Brown-Kelly added. Police should be more of a presence in the community, she said. "I really think communication is the key." But, Brown-Kelly said, "It's the ministers who need to take a stand, because they are very influential in the community."

Laine Briddell, a sociology professor at Christopher Newport University, said residents can help deter crime by keeping their ears and eyes out. "Along with reporting crimes to the police, citizens can serve as capable guardians to deter crime," she said. "If people are there and watching each other, others will be less likely to commit crime."

In general, Briddell said, communities in which people interact frequently have more ability to provide informal social control and discourage crime from taking place. Things such as making sure the area looks kept-up and cared for has an impact, she said. Community watch programs -- particularly those that are highly organized and involve a large part of the community -- can also make a difference.

Peter Dujardin can be reached by phone at 757-247-4749 or by email at pdujardin@dailypress.com

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