Citizens want peace restored to Meadows Drive
On a hot and sunny Sunday afternoon, District 1 Councilman Billy Raymond walked through Meadows Drive and talked to residents in the community about various ways to improve the area. Raymond and residents have been concerned ever since a drive-by shooting occurred there two weeks ago.
“I’m planning to hold a town hall meeting at some point,” Raymond told Kimberly Mitchell, a single mother who lives on Meadows Drive. “What do you think will help curb some of the things you see going on in the neighborhood?”
Mitchell told Raymond that she’s glad that she’s seen increased deputy patrols in the community, but she wants things to be the way they were before, when she felt comfortable with her kids playing outdoors.
“I’ve lived here for eight years,” she said. “Now, I’m afraid for my children to go out and play. They stay inside most of the time.”
But Mitchell hasn’t always felt like that about the safety of her children. The mother of three, who works in Jefferson Parish at a local doctor’s office, says over time she’s witnessed things get a lot worse in the community.
“I noticed things got bad right after Katrina,” she said. “My son had to miss his Christmas play at school last year because the police had the area blocked off near my home and the S.W.A.T team was out here trying to arrest somebody.”
Mitchell says her son was at home, and the street was blocked off for an hour at least. Her son can’t seem to forget that experience.
“The police told us to stay inside and not to go near the windows or doors or anything,” Joseph Johnson, Mitchell’s son and an Ethel Schoeffner student, said. “I was scared – very scared.”
Raymond wants to start a boys and girls club for the community, as well as put a park somewhere in the Meadows Drive area. He plans to continue to work with Sheriff Greg Champagne throughout the process to decrease crime in the neighborhood.
“I met with the Sheriff after receiving an email from a concerned resident about more than one shooting incident in the area,” he said. “And Sheriff Champagne told me that he would increase patrols. I’m glad that he has.”
Leon Adam’s son was the victim of one of those shootings, a drive-by that occurred on Meadows Drive on July 10.
“My son was walking with another young man who lives back here when he was shot,” Adams said. “He just got back from Job Corps in Texas three months ago. Now, he has to go through this.”
Adams says something needs to be done. While he has suggestions, like a place for children to play basketball and football, his main concern now is his son’s recovery.
“My son, Michael, was shot in the arm and the leg by someone using an AK-47,” he said. “He’s got to go through several surgeries to restore his left arm to the way it was before the incident.”
Adams said the shooter wasn’t aiming for his son, but at someone else.
“I saw the gun pointing out of the window,” Michael said. “Then I just took off running. That’s when I was shot.”
Adams said one of the bullets also struck a neighbor’s vehicle, breaking the window on her car.
“I still can’t believe it,”Adams said, near tears. “He’s not perfect, but he’s a good kid. He doesn’t try to harm anybody.”
Adams said he hopes that the changes in the neighborhood will come soon.
“The children living back here really don’t have a place to play,” he said. “Right now, they’re playing in the streets and this is not safe. Neighbors complain because they play basketball or football in the road.”
Adams said speed bumps would also be beneficial to keep people from rushing through the community.
Anthony Reynaud, Sr. owns several of the properties in the community and rents to residents on Meadows Drive.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement in the community,” he said. “I know that people are making more efforts to keep the streets clean and their yards are being kept up.”
Reynaud says the parish has made sure abandoned vehicles have been removed and debris doesn’t clutter the streets.
St. Charles Parish will also help out by hosting National Night Out Against Crime on August 5, which will take place across the parish.
Raymond hopes to get things organized with both Sheriff Champagne and area residents so that Meadows Drive will have an event that will benefit the community.
He hopes that it will do this by spreading awareness and allowing residents to voice any concerns that they may have.
“Hopefully, working with Sheriff Champagne, we will have a police presence at the Meadows Drive event.”
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