Lynn neighborhood group reports drop in violence

LYNN – A Hamilton Avenue resident’s report of lessening neighborhood violence and improved conditions stood out as the source of welcome news at a recent Lynn Crimewatch coordinators’ meeting at police headquarters.Community activist Christopher Hawk, 88 Hamilton Ave., was among those coordinators to meet with local police officials in late September for an update on criminal activity throughout the city. “As I heard the disquieting reports from the other neighborhood Crimewatch captains, I bowed my head in dismay. It seemed nothing has changed in the rest of the city since last I attended almost a year ago,” Hawk said. “Yet at the same time I reflected on the progress this neighborhood has seen in the last couple of years, and when it came my turn to report, I lifted my head to speak from a heart full of gladness.”According to Hawk, Hamilton Avenue and the immediate vicinity have been less plagued with crime than in previous years. He attributed the change to the presence of the Highlands Coalition, which has been active in the neighborhood.”We have reduced noise. We have reduced trash. We don’t have the same neighborhood-wide rat problem as before and we don’t see the same drug activity as we have formerly. Folks are more involved in planting trees,” he said, citing green landscaping initiatives last year along Rockaway and Joyce streets. “Folks are too involved in neighborhood street clean-ups, renovating the Henry Avenue Park and planting veggies at the Ford School than they are to be involved in playing loud music or to be involved in trashing the streets their kids just picked up.”Hawk said the Highlands Coalition has purchased covered trash barrels, sold by Lynn Lumber at the discount negotiated by the coalition, to guard against rodents. He also noted that the community vegetable sale raised $200. “These kids were too busy growing and selling veggies – not manufacturing and selling drugs – to be involved in criminal activity,” he said.The Highlands Coalition was formed by a band of neighbors working to make their neighborhood safe and clean. Their goals have been to prevent crime and the decline of property values, and to increase opportunities for youth.The coalition partners with a wide array of community organizations, including LINC, HAWC, Girls Inc., CrimeWatch, Neighbor to Neighbor, the High Rock Tower Association, the Gateway Project and the Lynn Health Task Force.