Our City of Stuart is a good safe place to live. There is one neighborhood; however, that has experienced multiple shootings and criminal activity due mostly to the drug trade. It is plagued with greater poverty than other neighborhoods. This neighborhood is the historic African-American East Stuart.

East Stuart was established because of segregation though it was a vibrant place in spite of it. During its economic and cultural prime of the 1940s and 1950s, the neighborhood thrived. It was the home to African-Americans from the most educated and prosperous to the poor and unskilled. Since these residents were denied access to the broader Stuart because of race, the people of this neighborhood were self reliant in all things.

When integration began in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, that broader world became available to many East Stuart residents. While once constrained by the geography of the neighborhood, this slowly changed. With the ending of legal segregation, new opportunities happened for many of the more educated and affluent. Everyone then could shop anywhere. Most of the businesses in East Stuart could no longer compete with the wider world. As norms changed, so did the make-up of the residents. While East Stuart is still primarily African-American, it is a neighborhood for the impoverished. Individuals now live there due to income more than race.

Poverty, lack of education and employment opportunities have brought the tragedy of drug addiction and an economy based on supplying drugs to the addicted of all neighborhoods. This underground economy has resulted in gang activity and violence to control this illegal market. We need to end this lawlessness as a perception of normalcy. The children of East Stuart should not have to grow up under such circumstances. The elderly of East Stuart should not have to fear being hit by a stray bullet while sitting in their homes. The pathology of this criminal pattern of behavior must not be tolerated.

This will require more police being assigned to East Stuart. If we are to eradicate indiscriminate shootings and drug dealing the city must be willing to devote long term the resources necessary. I want us, as a community and city, to stand firm against this plague. Our police must be fair and objective but do everything possible to accomplish this goal. Community policing should be a big part of this strategy. The hearts and minds of the community is as big a part of safety as is any law and order goal.

The police cannot do this work without community involvement. The people who live in this neighborhood must want to rid their community of this scourge. They need to be the eyes and ears of law enforcement. They have to stand and be part of the solution. When things are toughest, the East Stuart community and the rest of the city cannot afford to back down to those that have interest in the lawless status quo. For this type of behavior knows no geographic bounds or skin color.  Every neighborhood has an interest in eradicating the problem.

It is true the people who perpetuate these crimes are dangerous and have little regard for life. They want us to fear them because that is their ultimate weapon of compliance. They are home grown terrorists doing precisely the same thing as ISIS does in Syria. A healthy fear is natural but can’t be allowed to derail what needs to be done. Our children’s future is at stake and what we do will decide their destiny.

As a commissioner, I will ask that the needed funds are made available to support this effort. While a “Town Hall Meeting” may be called, all of us know what must be done. The actions needed on our part have to be more than just expressing complaints. The time for discussion is over. East Stuart and all of Stuart need to come together and expel the drug dealers and gangs from our city. Along with the police, we must make our city safe for all…especially our children as they are the future.