Wilmington: New leaders, same violence problem to solve

As newly elected leaders prepare to take the reins across the state, the one thing that continues to weigh heavily on the minds of their constituencies is crime.

This is particularly true in Wilmington, where shootings remain at near-record highs and the number of homicides are expected to tie the record set in 2010.

"I don't understand it," said 30-year-old Wilmington resident Rashawn Jackson. "In Wilmington, the West Side and East Side, are two of the major hot zones right now, and I don't see anything being done to stop it."

"Seems that as long as it stays right here, they're not worried about it," added Jackson, whose 22-year-old brother, Damon Butcher, was murdered in 2010.

Wilmington saw 145 shootings in 2016 – six fewer than last year and the third least in the last four years. And while there were fewer people killed by gunfire in 2016 than in the previous two years, the number of homicides will tie the record high of 28 set in 2010. 

That's because in addition to the 21 people killed by gunfire last year, Amy Joyner-Francis died as a result of an assault at Howard High School; three people – Inga Young, Whitney White and Melvin Smith – were killed in stabbings; and three firefighters – Capt. Christopher Leach, Lt. Jerry Fickes and Lt. Ardythe Hope – died in a fire police say was deliberately set at a Canby Park home on Sept. 24. 

There are signs that new police efforts are making a difference, such as Wilmington's DISRUPT unit, which uses aggressive and proactive measures to pre-empt crime in some of the city's most troubled neighborhoods. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch last month cited programs such as the Violence Reduction Network for having helped city police increase the rate they clear homicides.

Mike Purzycki, who will be sworn in as Wilmington's mayor on Tuesday, said he plans to tackle some of the city's systemic problems by strengthening neighborhoods; this includes cleaning up communities, getting people working and supplying employment to the chronically jobless. 

"It's going to make public safety and a whole host of policing initiatives a lot more effective when your entire effort is not based simply on cops out on the street, but on creating support systems as well," Purzycki said. "You're building a neighborhood. You're cleaning a neighborhood. You're taking down blighted homes. You're dealing with a lot of different ailments of dysfunction than just having cops take full responsibility for dealing with criminal behavior." 

Purzycki said a lot of the problems in Wilmington and other cities are a result of people watching the decline and not dealing with it.

"We've judged others rather than try to deal with these circumstances head-on," he said. "You reap what you sow and right now cities across the country are starting to find that we are paying for decades of neglect."

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Jackson said he wants changes that will improve Wilmington and the state, particularly for children. 

"I would like to seem them help the youth," Jackson said. "I have a 3-year-old, I wouldn't want to see anything happen to him."

His plea is not an overreaction in a city that last year saw one in five shooting victims be a juvenile. This is the same year that witnessed more than 20 young men, ranging from 16 to 21 and mostly from Wilmington, indicted on charges of gang participation after a rash of teen shootings fueled by a deadly rivalry between two gangs.

Wilmington's issues need to be a concern for Delaware, which earlier this year was ranked the eighth most dangerous state to live in by the online financial news and opinion articles company, 24/7 Wall St.

Citing the FBI's 2015 Uniform Crime Report, the company said slightly more than 130 incidents of robbery were reported per 100,000 people in Delaware that year – the fourth highest robbery rate of all states, despite declining by 3.9 percent from 2014. Meanwhile, the robbery rate increased by less than 1 percent nationwide. Douglas A. McIntyre, 24/7's editor in chief, was unable to explain what caused Delaware to rank so high. 

One of County Executive-elect Matt Meyer's biggest concerns for the coming year is violent crime – not only in New Castle County but throughout the state. Last weekDec.27, 53-year-old Lonnie M. Dixon was shot to death in the Garfield Park community, which Meyer said should never happen.

"There is a culture of violence in some neighborhoods that's unacceptable in 2016," he said. "So we're going to work on it."

He is taking a collaborative approach to fighting violence by working with incoming Gov. John Carney, Purzycki and others.

The county's homicide rate inched up by one in 2016 when compared to the previous year's 12.  The county also saw an increase in shootings – 35 last year, 22 the previous year. 

There were also more robberies, while the number of assaults was down in the county. 

Interim New Castle County Police Chief Vaughn Bond, who is taking over for Col. Elmer Setting after his retirement TuesdayJan.3, will have to manage the groundwork laid out by the previous chief, he said.

Many initiatives like Hero Help, which connects those suffering from addiction with treatment, need to be continued and improved upon.

Bond also wants to further efforts on de-escalation in the county, especially when interacting with specific populations.

"By focusing on how we deal with people with mental illness, we can help reduce the use of force and the use of deadly force," he said.

Governor-elect John Carney said Delawareans deserve to live in safe neighborhoods, where they can go to work and their children can go to school without the fear of violence.

"Once I take office, I will work with local authorities to target high-crime areas and take steps to improve relationships between police and the communities they serve," he said in a statement. "We'll also invest in our education system and expand after-school programs to make sure our children have safe and stable places to learn."

Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.