Winter 1996
Charlottle: Helping to Lead
Still, many problems remain and, in some of the communities, violent crime continues to post double-digit increases.
The Charlotte Observer and its media partners have recently finished an 18-month project, “Taking Back our Neighborhoods,” of in-depth reporting on crime in nine central city neighborhoods.
The project, which teamed The Observer with ABC affiliate WSOC-TV and radio stations WPEG-FM and WBAV-AM/FM, met with a number of successes. In the first neighborhood, Seversville, violent crime is down 19 percent over two years. In other communities, houses have been fixed up, neighborhood eyesores have been torn down, and the city has developed a program to help the private sector get involved. And hundreds of citizens volunteered to help out, following road maps or needs lists made public by the media partners.
For many, the series was a rude awakening, said the project’s community coordinator, Charlene Price-Patterson. For others, it was a call to action. Countless times, Patterson said, people told me, “I didn’t know things were like that in Charlotte.”
By Charlene Price-Patterson
Community Coordinator
“Taking Back our Neighborhoods”
Before we wrapped up our series, we wanted to provide something long lasting for the people in the communities. So, the Observer’s Editorial Board, working with a group called Grassroots Leadership and with Central Piedmont Community College, organized a two-part leadership training program.
On Oct. 28, we sponsored a bus tour of all nine neighborhoods for 42 residents. The tour gave the participants a chance to see firsthand each neighborhood, and a spokesman from each area served as a tour guide, talking about the battles the neighborhood had won or lost.
Each neighborhood had a lesson to share. It was a wonderful networking opportunity.
Part two of the program involved a day-long leadership workshop held at the college Nov. 11. Residents got training in role playing, resolving conflict, running effective meetings, action planning and other skills. And 120 officials and community leaders from Charlotte participated in the luncheon.
Many of the participants were struck by the similarities of their neighborhoods. Said Seversville resident Catherine Simpkins: “We’re all working for the same purpose – to make Charlotte a healthier place to be in.”
“What surprised me was that so many people stayed until the end of the day and then asked for more,” said Maria Henson, the editorial writer and columnist who helped oversee the effort. “They seemed to find real value in it. That’s what made me feel good.”
Henson said the paper had some reservations in embarking on the program. “We had some shakiness all the way through because it’s not our normal venue.”
However, she said other organizations, not The Observer, did the leadership training. The paper is hoping that, in the future, other groups will pick up the ball and carry on the effort.