Arrest of teens reveals value of neighborhood block watch

When local officials gather this evening in Warren for a “Summit on Safety” sponsored by Ohio Sen. Capri Cafaro, D-Liberty Township, they would do well to review the role played by a member of a neighborhood block watch on Youngstown’s South Side in the arrest of several teenagers for attempted armed robbery.

The man, who asked not to be identified because of his participation in the Loveland Avenue group, says his actions on Thanksgiving Day afternoon were “the right thing to do,” and he urges others to follow his lead.

Indeed, law enforcement officials have long talked about people in neighborhoods serving as their eyes and ears as they work to rid the streets of criminals. Block watches have become an important element in crime fighting because no police department or other law enforcement agency has the ability to station officers at every street corner.

Today’s summit at the Warren YMCA is designed to help officeholders, community leaders and law enforcement officials forge partnerships to better protect local communities.

“This is a great opportunity for members of the community to learn about what resources are available to help keep them safe,” said Cafaro, minority leader in the Senate. Among the participants will be Craig Tame of the U.S. District Attorney’s Office and Jim Johnson of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

But as the Youngstown South Side resident demonstrated, the greatest resource a community has for fighting crime is law-abiding residents who are tired of being held hostage by criminals.

Commenting on his actions Thanksgiving Day, the block watch member said, “This was the right thing to do, flat out the right thing to do. I am tired of my neighborhoods being victimized by a minority of the population. There is less than 2 percent of the population terrorizing the remaining 98 percent.”

What did he do to warrant the attention of the public?

‘Pop him’

He saw a group of teen boys surrounding a man, woman and child, and was told by the man that the boys had tried to rob them. The victim also told police that one of the teens in the group of seven to nine pulled out a gun and demanded money. Two of the boys encouraged the one with the gun to “pop him” and take his money and cigarettes. The victim refused to cooperate, and the teens walked away after they saw the block watch member approach.

What makes the incident even more disturbing is that young men did not flee the scene, even though they were aware the crime had been witnessed.

“The kids were just brazen about it, just walking away like nothing happened,” the neighborhood activist said.

The teens eventually ran, but the victim and block watcher followed them to a home on Mount Vernon where they were arrested by police after being identified by the robbery victim.

The teens, ranging in age from 13 to 15, were charged with attempted armed robbery and complicity to aggravated armed robbery. They were being held in the Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center.

Such an incident not only highlights the danger residents face in some neighborhoods, but shows what can happen when people are willing to get involved and let police know when crimes are being committed.