Inside The Hillside: A Lack Of Investment

DULUTH - For the past two days, FOX 21's Dan Hanger has brought you stories from inside Duluth's Hillside -- a section of the city that's often painted as one of the worst parts of town. City officials say that perception is far from reality.  In Part Three of our special report, Hanger finds out what some feel is lacking in the Hillside and only fueling the perception problem.
The Duluth Police Department is more than ever focused on community policing and crime prevention.
"We have two or three analysts looking at calls for service every day. There's an expectation to get information in to us to look for patterns," explained Lt. Eric Rish.

One of the top areas of focus of Rish's focus is the Hillside community that he says does not have widespread crime, but so-called hot spots involving drugs that are always on the move.

"We want to hold everybody accountable for their behaviors no matter who they are. We want them to be accountable for their behaviors and understand what we expect in our neighborhoods," Lt. Rish said.

Claudie Washington is a 37-year resident and community activist of the Hillside who believes crime prevention in this poverty stricken neighborhood should also be through programming, which Washington believes is virtually unheard of in the Hillside.

"Poor people and people in my neighborhood and some of the west end neighborhoods, or whatever, don't have access to recreational resources and therefore they are left to be idle. And my mother always told me idle hands make work for the devil. And I think that's part of the problem."

Duluth City Councilor Sharla Gardner, who represents the Hillside, believes the city needs to do better.
"The more affluent areas have more advantages, and as a community, we need to recognize that," Gardner explained.

Gardner believes poor communities don't have the financial backing from its neighbors to support a community center with programming like, for example, the Park Point Community Club.

"They put on a lot of wonderful activities for the kids. It's the community club that does that. They don't get help from the city," Gardner said.

But there's another problem. The Central Hillside Community Center on Lake Avenue and 4th Street has been wiped out by a non-profit and moved into the Washington Center across the street.

"There's some confusion of where the community center is. And I think we need to get those issues resolved once and for all and then make sure the community center is welcoming for kids in the Central Hillside and that more activities are planned for them," Gardner said.

In the meantime, for Washington, he'll continue to be a champion for the Hillside with a mission of a brighter tomorrow.

"If parents had more positive things to channel their kids into, I think the kids would be better off, the city of Duluth would be better off," Washington said.