Local

Northside fighting back against recent crime, blight

Vandalism at a city park, blight in the neighborhood and crime-related deaths- all problems Northside and Eastside community groups are coming together today to fight against.

“There’s so many negative stigmas associated with the North- and Eastside of town- but this is our city,” says Northside LOVE co-founder Angie Nixon.

Northside LOVE is a neighborhood initiative launched last year to focus on enterprise and entrepreneurship in the community.  The hallmark to this point has been a monthly vendor’s market at Lonnie Miller Park bringing together healthy eating, local business and teen entrepreneurs.  Nixon says they’re now looking to establish something similar on the Eastside as well.

She says promoting programs in which teens can get involved in order to stay out of crime benefits not just their neighborhoods, but the city at-large.

“We have to break down those silos, stop operating those silos, and work together for the greater good of Jacksonville,” she says.

Councilman Reggie Brown, who represents part of the Northside which has seen recent crime, says it’s important to focus on bettering public parks and, therefore, creating a family-friendly environment giving children a safe place to do things.  While he says it would always be nice to have more resources, like police, for these areas, be believes the responsibility must start with people living in the neighborhood first.

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