06-24-02 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING JUNE 24, 2002 Ms. Linda Chism, Vice - President, LaSalle Area Neighborhood Association, 1135 North Kaley, South Bend, Indiana, stated that she is in favor of the anti loitering ordinance and the neighborhood association voted to support this ordinance. The boundaries of the association are Bendix Drive on the west to the railroad tracks by Wilber Street up to Portage on the east from Lincolnway West on the south to Elwood Avenue on the north. They need something to cut down on gang activity, drug activity and intimidation in the neighborhoods. Ms. Chism noted that with the proper training the police will be able to enforce this ordinance as it is meant to be enforced. Each neighborhood association will have to vote each year whether to keep this enforced in their neighborhood or not. She noted that she feels that the community needs to be made aware that this ordinance is not to stop people from talking on a street corner. Illegal activity is a problem and the City of South Bend needs to help out. They need help protecting their quality of life, and they need help to stop gang activity, drug activity and intimidation. With the existing problems at businesses that are open all night or open very late at night, the police need all the help they can get. Ms. Chism asked that the Council adopt this ordinance. Ms. Noreen Deane - Moran, 716 West Colfax Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, President, Near Westside Neighborhood organization, with boundaries from William Street to Olive and then Western to Lincolnway West, advised that the organization is fairly unanimous that they would like this ordinance to happen. She noted that some members feel rather strongly that there is a problem in the individual. organizations opting in or out and they wanted it to be more encompassing. She further noted that their neighborhood has a very diverse group and a large minority population and those individuals are very much for the ordinance as opposed to worrying about profiling that might have a racial element. In conclusion, Ms. Deane -Moran stated that they hope the Council will vote favorably for this ordinance. Mr. Maurice Williams, 1724 Prairie Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, Vice - President, Rum Village Neighborhood Association, noted that after the presentation by the City, the Board agreed that this ordinance would be a good thing for the neighborhood. However, the Board didn't feel it was just up to them and they therefore sent out a survey to their service area to determine whether they would be in favor of this ordinance. Mr. Williams noted that it was not necessarily unanimous but the majority said they were in favor of this ordinance and would therefore like to see this ordinance pass. Ms. Rose Garth, 1150 North Elmer, South Bend, Indiana, noted that she is a member of LANA but is not speaking for LANA but for her parents who live on Elmer Street. She noted that she has watched the neighborhood change and evolve into something they do not like. She further noted that she believes it is very important that the neighbors get their power back and become more pro active in addressing their issues and needs. Ms. Garth stated that she supports adoption of this ordinance. Mr. Chuck Leone, City Attorney, 14th Floor, County -City Building, South Bend, Indiana, advised that the City administration believes that this ordinance will be a useful tool to add to the other tools available to the administration and to the Police Department in improving and promoting neighborhoods in the City of South Bend and believes it is an appropriate ordinance to pass. However, he noted that there needs to be some fine tuning with respect to the designation process and the enforcement process. The role of the City Attorneys office will be to enforce this ordinance at the time that it is passed and the time the police begin to be out on the street. Therefore, they want to make sure that the mechanisms are in place so that if there is a legal challenge at some point in the future that the City will be able to successfully get past those challenges and to enforce the ordinance the way the Council intends. There was no one else present wishing to speak in favor of the bill. The following individuals spoke in opposition. In 1 1