THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Wednesday, January 29, 1997 TAG: 9701290466 SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 143 lines
In his dream of the future, Harrison B. Wilson sees the university he has led for 22 years nestled in the comfort of a neighborhood reborn.
In that dream, Norfolk State University adjoins a neighborhood with new and refurbished houses. Students and residents live in peace and harmony.
Wilson sees, in his dream, urban renewal finally coming to the blighted Central Brambleton neighborhood that abuts the campus to the west, a neighborhood where the violent crime rate is more than twice the city's rate.
``I see homes that have been completely renovated, new homes, single-family homes, and all the old unattended homes torn down,'' Wilson, who will retire as president in July, said in a recent interview.
In his two decades as president, he has seen how inner-city crime can get a neighborhood in a choke hold, creating a climate of fear that sometimes leaves students and staff afraid to walk surrounding avenues.
Wilson said he would like one of his legacies to NSU to be a cleaner, safer Brambleton. For that to happen, he said, the city must accelerate the pace at which it is razing abandoned houses there.
``We've been telling them for years to clean up Central Brambleton. . . . We must get that area cleaned up if we're going to survive as a university where people feel safe,'' he said.
``The city has torn down a lot of these houses, which has helped. What we want to do is finish the other 50 percent.''
The abandoned buildings breed what Wilson calls unwelcome ``guests,'' fostering a criminal element often linked to drugs.
Last year, Brambleton's violent-crime rate was 22 per 1,000 residents, as compared with a citywide rate of 10 per 1,000. Brambleton had 127 reports of murder, rape, felonious assault and robbery.
The neighborhood's rate of property crime - burglary, larceny and auto theft - was more in line with the rest of the city.
There are more than 5,800 residents in Brambleton and about 8,100 NSU students. The high crime numbers make for a wary community of residents and students, Wilson said.
``We advise our citizens not to go in that area after dark by themselves,'' Wilson said.
But while violent crime continues to plague the neighborhood, the rate is improving.
Three of the city's 65 homicides in 1996 happened in the Brambleton district. That number was down from eight homicides in 1995 and 11 in 1994. In 1996, the rates of both violent crime and property crime improved: In 1995, the violent crime rate was three times that of the city's, at 33 per 1,000, but fell to 22 in 1996.
Several high-profile acts of violence - including two against Norfolk police officers and one against a Norfolk State student - occurred within Brambleton's borders in 1996:
On Jan. 3, a bicycle patrol officer was shot twice by a man he was chasing. The officer, Chris R. Amos, returned fire and killed the gunman, Juan H. Moore, 19. The shooting started after Amos and his partner saw what appeared to be a drug deal, police said. Police said Amos acted in self-defense.
In May, Investigator Robert Douros, a vice-narcotics detective, was shot in the upper left arm during a morning drug bust on Reservoir Avenue. Another bullet ricocheted off his helmet.
In October, George L. ``Tre'' Mills III, a 20-year-old NSU sophomore from Richmond, was shot to death, apparently after a companion in another car turned into an intersection and cut off a car in which the attackers were riding. Three men and a juvenile were arrested on murder charges; three of the suspects are from Brambleton.
Pat Gomez, director of community development for the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, said the authority shares Wilson's goals for improving the Brambleton area.
``Our priority is his priority,'' Gomez said. ``We are investing quite a bit of money in clearing dilapidated housing in the Brambleton neighborhood.''
This year, the authority has allotted $1.25 million for redeveloping Central Brambleton, which is one of five major Norfolk neighborhoods getting a planned face lift, Gomez said. Berkley, Church Street/Huntersville, Park Place and Lamberts Point also are slated for redevelopment, he said.
In Brambleton, the plan calls for building nearly 100 single-family homes over the next few years, Gomez said. The NRHA has been locating and buying property for those home sites. By the end of 1997, the authority hopes to have completed a storm-water drainage project in the neighborhood.
Wilson said city officials have been working with Norfolk State in the effort to tear down abandoned houses, but he wishes the process would speed up.
``All of us would like to move faster,'' Gomez said. ``But for the most part, things are on schedule.''
Many houses have been demolished in the last past few years, and more street lights have been added to the neighborhood.
The Police Department has increased patrols in the area and added more bicycle officers, Gomez said.
Wilson said Norfolk police also are working with university police.
In addition, the university recently received two grants, totaling more than $1 million, from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, one for renovating homes and the other to build several new homes at low cost.
The university is using the money in several ways.
Eight houses have been renovated so far at an average cost of $25,000, and five new homes will be built at an approximate cost of $85,000. The average cost to a low-income homebuyer is $50,000. HUD grants make up the difference.
The university will continue to work with the Brambleton Civic League and other residents to increase community-related programs, Wilson said.
One such endeavor is the Brambleton Outreach Center, which sits behind Phyllis Wheatley dormitory. The center, run by NSU, hosts programs for both elderly citizens and children. Civic groups also hold meetings there.
The rebirth of the area has begun in earnest, say some people with ties to Brambleton. The Rev. John H. Foster, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church on Park Avenue, cited closer relations between businesses, residents and NSU for turning the tide.
``Central Brambleton has become a more conducive community for living,'' said Foster, who has been with the church 29 years. ``Our citizens here now feel more safe, and those who have an interest in this area are more willing to invest their money and their time in rebuilding.''
Foster, a former Norfolk city councilman, agreed that the abandoned housing is one of the prime sources for crime and blight.
``Those abandoned houses detract, and we really need to accelerate our efforts in correcting those problem areas,'' Foster said.
Everything seems to be pointing in the right direction, Wilson said. Now it's just a matter of precious time.
He said he understands that the city has a number of improvement projects that may sometimes take priority.
``When it's your area, you think it's the most important,'' he said.
The university, with its students and staff, could be compared to a business, he said.
``You'd like to have it as safe as possible,'' he said. ``We don't want something to happen and then have someone say the university never complained.'' MEMO: Staff writer Naomi Aoki contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
MOTOYA NAKAMURA
The Virginian-Pilot
This vacant house on Marshall Avenue is among the negative elements
that Norfolk State's president would like to see removed from the
Brambleton area.
Harrison B. Wilson foresees new and refurbished houses amidst peace
and harmony.
BRAMBLETON CRIME RATE
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
CRIME ON THE DECLINE?
GRAPHIC
The Virginian-Pilot
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
SOURCE: Norfolk Police Incident Reports
KEYWORDS: CRIME STATISTICS NSU INTERVIEW