The Central Tampa News & Tribune
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Ways Sought To Stop Violence
Tribune photo by JOSÉ PATINO GIROÑA
Lillie Nichols, 65, stands outside her West Tampa home, where she has lived for 45 years. For the past six months, she has taken a methodical approach to personal protection.
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Published: September 24, 2008
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WEST TAMPA - In the 27 years she has lived here, Lillie Howard has never seen anything like it.
"We have never had a killing spree like that," said Howard, 74.
"I have heard of someone getting killed, but not one behind the other," she said.
Since April, there have been six homicides in West Tampa, with three from July 23-27 and one as recently as last week.
The victims include a 35-year-old mother of two and a 17-year-old senior at Blake High School.
Police say the deaths aren't related. Two were domestic violence cases in which a suspect has been arrested. A 15-year-old suspect faces first-degree murder and attempted robbery charges in another case. The other slayings remain under investigation.
Neighborhood groups have held two meetings at the West Tampa Public Library to discuss the homicides and other crime. Hours after the second meeting adjourned at 8 p.m. Sept. 17, a man was fatally shot in front of his Walnut Street home, three blocks from the library.
Howard, a member of the Old West Tampa Neighborhood Association and Crime Watch, said neighborhood programs are needed to raise awareness and motivate residents to work together.
Police say they have a good relationship with the community and the local crime watch associations. The department has community-oriented police officers working the streets and school resource officers reaching out to youngsters.
It also has a MySpace account, www.myspace.com/ tampapolice, where it streams surveillance video from robberies, uploads Most Wanted photos and encourages the public to submit anonymous tips.
Sophia Teague, a police major who heads District I, said crime in West Tampa has fallen 50 percent since 2003.
But the homicide rate is bucking that trend, with West Tampa accounting for about one-fourth of the 23 slayings citywide this year, as of Friday.
From 2004-07, there was one homicide each year in the area bordered by MacDill Avenue, Columbus Drive, Interstate 275 and the Hillsborough River.
No-Snitching Code
Although the rapport between police and community is good, Teague acknowledged that the no-snitching code is a problem.
"We need people to come forward," she said. "We have to have leads to solve crimes. People can remain anonymous and still clean up their neighborhood."
Teague's agency also has been a victim.
On July 26, Officer Ryan Culbertson was making an arrest at Oregon Avenue and Chestnut Street when he was stabbed in the neck, leaving him with a broken jaw and a cut that required 10 stitches. About 30 people were present when the incident happened, but there have been no arrests in the stabbing.
The area has several neighborhood and crime watch groups, including the Old West Tampa Neighborhood Association and Crime Watch, Northeast Macfarlane Neighborhood Association and Crime Watch, and Capaz Area Crime Watch Association.
Janice Williams, president of the Old West Tampa group, said residents are concerned about the homicides.
"I just hope that this is not a sign of what is to come," Williams said. "Even though some murders were related to domestic violence, a murder is still a murder."
'Not Going To Accept It'
Once an independent city renowned for its cigar factories, West Tampa has enjoyed a resurgence of late.
New homes with historical designs are attracting a modest number of professionals. The Tampa Art Museum temporarily moved into a historical building on Howard Avenue, and a few businesses have opened despite a struggling economy.
Michael Randolph, who helped organize the neighborhood crime meetings, wrote in a recent e-mail to residents that West Tampa was in a "state of emergency" as a result of the slayings and concern that violent crime could escalate.
Like others, he said a plan is needed for the community to work together to solve the problem.
"Check West Tampa at night," said Randolph, the former development director for the West Tampa Community Development Corp. "That is when you get your real reality. You see a whole new different picture of West Tampa at night."
Mike Vannetta moved to West Tampa from Davis Islands last year with his wife, Alice. He said the homicides don't make him feel unsafe because they appear to have been targeted at specific victims.
"Several months ago we had a rash of break-ins," Vannetta said. "That concerned me because it was random."
For the past six months, Lillie Nichols has taken a methodical approach to personal protection.
Before pulling into her driveway, she checks her rearview mirror. She puts her headlights on high beam, studies her property and then turns off the engine. By cell phone, she calls her granddaughter to unlock the door. Then she uses the light from her cell phone to guide her to her door.
Nichols, 65, has lived in West Tampa for 45 years. She is the recreation leader for the community's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex.
"I hope it's not a trend," Nichols said of the homicides. "It has really brought attention to this area. We are not going to accept it as a community.
"We pray to God we don't have any more murders."
Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 259-7650 or jpatino@tampatrib.com.
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