Last year, Todd and Yesenia Wise and Sylvia Moya: who live less than a block from one another: didn’t know each other. At most, they recognized each others’ faces, but they had never had a real conversation.
These days, though, the three catch up once a week or so. For that, at the very least, they have the Washington Park Neighbors (WPN) to thank: a group started by Moya and Whitman sophomore Alex Kerr last September, which encompasses the area between 6th and 9th Avenues, and Rees and Rose Avenues.
The group was formed to address major concerns in the neighborhood, which many residents felt had been largely ignored by the Walla Walla Police Department. Meeting roughly once a week, WPN drew up a list of requests for Chief of Police Chuck Fulton that they wanted to see put into place, including more police presence, brighter street lights and lower speed limits in the area.
Fulton, alongside Area Officer Kevin Braman and Crime Prevention Officer Robert Reed, promised to do their best to address the concerns of WPN.
That was in November.
Since then, WPN has come a long way. The size of the core group of neighbors has swollen from about four or five dedicated residents to close to 20. The group has met with members of the WWPD three subsequent times.
According to Mr. Wise, the police have kept their promises.
“Kevin Braman has done a great job. Every time I talk to him he’s telling me the things he’s going to do. I talk to him at every meeting,” he said.
Moya agreed.
“[Officer Braman] has shown he cares about this neighborhood. It seems to me he has the same kind of values as we do, and he took an interest in this neighborhood. He wanted to see something happen here,” she said.
Police efforts in the neighborhood have been clear: Brighter lights have been installed to increase visibility, Officer Braman has spent more time patrolling the streets and three houses which had been suspected of being involved in major drug activity have been investigated. Community members have also expressed gratefulness for having gained a better sense of understanding what resources are available to them in emergency situations.
But change hasn’t come from the police department alone.
“I see a lot changes with the people in the neighborhood themselves. There have been a lot of people who have been more dedicated, consistent and have wanted to see things change,” said Moya. “Improvement doesn’t just come from what’s on the surface: it has to do with what’s inside the neighborhood.”
WPN has independently implemented ways to maintain unity and momentum within their group.
Most recently, they have started three walking groups, which each walk down streets in the community twice a week in the evening. These groups knock on doors to inform residents about WPN and to tell their stories, while taking note of any crimes they might witness in the hour they’re out. The groups are just beginning, but WPN hopes to have one team on the street six nights a week in the near future.
At WPN’s last meeting, community members sat down with Code Enforcement officers, who spoke about laws which apply to the properties in the Washington Park area.
“I have been told that people learned a lot from that and some people have great ideas they want to bring up at the next meeting about how to clean the neighborhood up,” said Kerr.
While there has been progress in the area since WPN formed in September, there are still improvements to be made. Higher police involvement has caused a visible decrease in overt criminal activity, but community members continue to worry about drug use and other illegal behavior.
“We want the gangs to be stopped, and the drugs to be out,” said Moya. “We want to give our children security, we want them to know their identity. This should be a good neighborhood to be brought into.”
Mrs. Wise is concerned that cold weather is partially responsible for the lull in criminal activity, and hopes that WPN can stay active through the summer.
“Right now it’s winter and obviously things are calmed down, but when summer comes that’s when we’re really going to see where things need to be worked on, I think. Last summer there was more gang activity, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see with that,” said Mrs. Wise.
What seems to be most important to members of WPN, though, is that the group itself maintains solidarity.
“We don’t want this to die. We want it to continue and get stronger,” said Mrs. Wise.
Kerr is excited about the momentum the group has built.
“We are made up of neighbors working for the safety and well-being of their loved ones : what could be more important than that? So it’s no surprise that our momentum is building and I have no doubt that WPN will continue to grow and reach our goals,” said Kerr.
WPN meets every other Friday. They hope to work more closely with the police towards stopping drug use and gang activity. They are also hoping to put emphasis on the importance of the nightly group walks.
“We want people to be aware that we are a neighborhood that’s watching out for one another,” said Moya.
