Lamont Moye (pictured with his daughter, Iyana) asked Newhallville’s new district manager if he was having any luck ridding the streets of illegal dirt bikes, for which the neighborhood is infamous. “Have you seen any?” the neighborhood’s top cop asked him.
“I saw one last week,” said Moye (pictured with his daughter, Iyana).
“Have you seen as many as before?”
No, not as many as before, Moye said.
That was Lt. Thaddeus Reddish’s point.
Reddish (pictured) recently took over as the district’s top cop, or “district manager.” He gave the neighborhood a crime update at its management team meeting Wednesday night at the Winchester Avenue substation.
He said gun violence is way down from its previous high level. He claimed he has the dirt bike situation under control, too.
The police department’s community services officer, Joe Avery, gave a pep talk to the six neighbors present at the meeting (not counting the police, the neighborhood specialist for the Livable City Initiative, and a few other guests making presentations).
“People in Newhallville need to get involved in block watches,” Avery said. “It’s a way to bring people into the management team; it has not been well attended for quite a while.”
He said he understands the root of the problem. “A lot of people in Newhallville are living in fear,” he said, “and don’t want to be pegged as block watchers, which equals snitch.”
“So just don’t call yourself a block watch,” he suggested. “Just say it’s neighbors getting together.”
Moye, sitting in the back of the room with two young daughters who drew quietly throughout the meeting, said, “I tried to revive my block watch on Highland Street. I passed out flyers, but nobody responded.”
“Reach out beyond just your block,” Avery responded. He tantalized the group with descriptions of 50 and 60 people who come out to meetings in other neighborhoods.
Moye said he’d be happy to reach out to a broader area, “but I want someone watching my block, too.”
Management Team chairman Harold Ellis (pictured), who lives around the corner from Moye, said he’s also been thinking of trying to resurrect his block watch. He proposed they work together to see if they, too, can get double-digit attendance at a future meeting.
The schooters are killing greenwich ave.little speeding cars,loud neighbors.Its all about respect!We live here we pay taxes Its the same people same houes,same schooters/birtbikes.The cops are all ways around at the wrong time.If you take the bikes,you wont have to worry about them.If your car is not registered its going to be towed They can find your car but cant see/find 4 schooters thatsThe cops ask what color bike,what race,after you tell them they cant find the bikes.Its the only 4 schooters on greenwich ave.