Business owners pledge to aid police

Advocate Staff Photo by Arthur D. Lauck -- Baton Rouge Police BRAVE leaders Sgt. Herbert "Tweety" Anny, right, and Sgt. Robert McGarner address an audience of property owners, business owners and apartment managers Friday at the Glory House Ministries in Melrose East.

Several Melrose East business and property owners said Friday they would work with the officers from Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination, the parish’s new crime-fighting unit, to crack down on criminals in their neighborhood.

“We are working to clean it up here,” landlord Carol Thornton said. “There are too many drug dealers in the apartments.”

Many business owners expressed support for BRAVE at the meeting, which was held Friday at Glory House Ministries on North Carrollton Avenue in Melrose East.

The BRAVE project is a new crime intervention plan aimed at violent offenders as well as drug offenders in the city’s 70805 ZIP code, an area generally bounded by Airline Highway to the north and the east, the Mississippi River to the west and Choctaw Drive to the south.

Even though BRAVE is focused on 70805 because it is the city’s most violent ZIP code, the surrounding areas — like Melrose East — must be included in the efforts too, said BRPD Sgt. Herbert “Tweety” Anny, a leader of BRAVE.

“If we just targeted the 70805 and hit it real hard, then the crime would just move to 70802, 70806,” Anny said.

Sheriff’s Capt. Rodney Walker urged the assembled community members to pass on any tips to authorities.

“In order for us to do our jobs, we need information,” he said.

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said it was heartening to see the business owners’ support of BRAVE.

“This is what it’s going to take,” he said. “Not just here, but throughout the parish.”

Comments

1) Comment by rdm41234 - 11/08/2012

I live in 70809 but when I heard about this meeting, I was 'moved' to attend. No regrets. Very inspiring speeches. I am, however, disappointed in the contents of this article. I think I could have written a much better story than this that reflected the real emotion of this meeting and I am not a journalist or a reporter. I am also disappointed in where the advocate.com placed the link to this story on their 'front page' so to speak and the tag line to get you to the story. I do appreciate, though, that this 'reporter' was there along with WBRZ and WVLA. I did not see WAFB there. I saw what Mike Shingleton with WBRZ did with this story and it is commendable. I haven't seen the WVLA coverage yet. After Sheriff Gautreaux gave the last speech, I raised my hand to make one comment but at that time, people were ready to leave due to the exhaustive heat in meeting location. What I wanted to say is this: while businesses owners, apartment managers, BRAVE, local law enforcement are very integral in solving this area's issues and actually improving the way of life for everyone living in this area, the local print at TV media also play a significant role. This story and the handling of it by the editors of theadvocate dot com is indicative of that. And the local TV media... I no longer watch the local TV news because, invariably, the first 10 minutes is committed to murder and mayhem. TV coverage of crime by the locale TV stations is so cliché. It couldn't be 'scripted' better than what it is - first, the 'map', and I think we all know what we are talking about here, then the crime scene tape, then blood on the pavement, then pointing cameras at the 'deceased's relatives, and then having the gall to ask for an interview with same. Local TV news coverage of "murder and mayhem' is about a scripted as a Price Leblanc tv spot - in your face, country sausage and 'dahlin' ..' To the sponsors of the local TV news - I regret that I will not know you, dahlin'.