CHARLOTTE — Dozens of concerned and frustrated residents who are worried about violence in the Hidden Valley community filled the Northeast Seventh Day Adventist Church Tuesday night.
“As a taxpaying citizen, we should be able to live in our community and feel free and be happy in our own community,” said resident Nellie Stevenson.
Stevenson told Channel 9 that she has lived in Hidden Valley in northwest Charlotte for decades and has attended countless meetings.
The attendees change but the community violence stays the same, she said.
“It’s coming from one side of town to the next side of town, and we’ve had it over here for years and it seems like they’re not doing anything to clean it up,” Stevenson said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were at the meeting and highlighted efforts to crack down on crime in areas, including North Tryon Street and Tom Hunter Road.
Earlier this month, a 17-year-old shot and killed a man in the area, officials with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.
“We are out there as frequently and as often as we can be,” said a police officer who attended the Hidden Valley meeting. “That’s a major priority for this division, to do as much as we can to impact what’s going on out there.”
Lt. Reginald Jenkins said his team is working to get more patrols in the North Tryon Division despite dealing with a department-wide staffing shortage.
“We are pulling staffing from other divisions to assist in the North Tryon Division, so that means more officers are coming this way,” Jenkins said.
Longtime resident Alisa Greene hopes that will make a difference.
“(I’m) hoping that eventually someone’s going to really get the message and put action behind their words,” Greene said.
CMPD praised its new Juvenile Accountability and Diversion Empowerment team.
The department has made 75 arrests in Charlotte so far this year with many connected to vehicle theft and larceny cases.
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