Longview Officials Address the Unrest

LONGVIEW – This year Longview has seen ten homicides and many more non-fatal shootings. Most happened on the south side of town. KETK reports city officials and community leaders are working to do their part to alleviate the problem. Mayor Andy Mack said the Longview City Council has approved a pay scale increase for the Longview Police Department for approximately $761,000 to help combat the violence.

Another solution is the city is looking more closely at sub-standard houses on the south side of town that attract criminals. The police department estimates there are 15 houses in south Longview that are trouble areas. “There is narcotic dealing going on. It brings people with guns, it brings people with knives, it brings a lot of drama into that situation,” said Longview Police Department Public Information Officer Kristie Brian.

The Director of Development Services, Michael Shirley, said his department is currently identifying houses that are not up to code. “We are working on compiling a formal list with our code compliance division and we are working with our PAR officers dealing with properties that are abandoned that may be sub-standard properties,” said Shirley.

Though Shirley was unable to say just how many more houses are not up to code in south Longview compared to the rest of the city, he did say the number of houses that meet the qualifications of demolition are higher on the south side because they tend to be older. Shirley said a $20,000 increase to the demolition budget has been added for this effort. “When you have a substandard building that adds to the blight of the area so be removing that nuisance that can help with the overall feel of the neighborhood,” Shirley added.

Due to legalities, do not expect to see those houses torn down right away. From a law enforcement perspective, demolition would help but it would only be a small solution. “We’ve done that in several areas of the city and it has really improved those areas. Even after that concentrated effort we really try to continue on in those areas to keep that momentum going,” said Brian. She said police are focusing their efforts on communication — trying to “get neighbors to call and say they are here at this time. If we are patrolling they are not necessarily going to be there, but if the neighbors will call and say, hey, they are over here right now, then we can certainly get people over there to take care of that problem.”

The President of the Longview NAACP, Branden Johnson, said the main solution is re-establishing trust between the police department and the community, something the police department said it’s working on. “We are encouraging our officers to get out of the cars get out and talk to people in the neighborhoods and get to know who they are working for in those neighborhoods,” said Brian. Johnson said the NAACP is continuing to reach out to the young males through twice monthly meetings at Divine Catering and mentoring programs for men under the age of 25.