Pubdate: Mon, 02 Jan 2006
Source: Journal News, The (NY)
Copyright: 2006 The Gannett Company, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nyjournalnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1205
Author: Ernie Garcia
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

YONKERS EVICTS 25 HOUSEHOLDS FROM PUBLIC HOUSING FOR DRUGS

YONKERS -- The city Municipal Housing Authority's 
one-strike-and-you're-out anti-drugs policy led to the evictions of 
25 households from public housing in 2005 for drug-related crimes.

Eight of the convicted drug offenders lived in the housing projects, 
while the other offenders were not registered tenants but were 
staying with an apartment's leaseholder or using an apartment in 
public housing for their illegal activity. Housing Authority Director 
Peter Smith said outsiders are responsible for most crime in public housing.

"Eighty percent of the arrests on project grounds are people who 
don't live in the projects. That's been consistent over the years," Smith said.

Smith released the eviction figures in response to a Journal News 
inquiry about the fate of two men arrested in a Dec. 8 drug sweep in 
the city's southwest quadrant, called Operation Impact II by police. 
William King, 30, of 55 School St., and Ronnie Morales, 26, of 49 
Mulford Gardens, both were arrested that day and charged with 
third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance near school 
grounds, a felony.

The eight-month Operation Impact investigation involved 120 
undercover purchases of crack cocaine and heroin and led to the 
arrests or indictments of 76 suspects, many of whom were apprehended Dec. 8.

Smith said neither King nor Morales were registered tenants of the 
public housing addresses they gave. He said there would not be 
repercussions against the leaseholders at those addresses unless the 
accused were convicted of crimes or the housing authority determined 
they actually lived there.

Yonkers has 2,609 public housing units.

Some residents at the Ross F. Calcagno Houses on School Street said 
they had noticed fewer people hanging out and other positive changes 
in the complex over the past year. Kenneth James, 56, a boiler 
maintenance worker, did not agree.

"I've seen the (overall) decline. You see the grounds. The tenants 
have to take care of their own floors," said James, who does not live 
at School Street but was visiting his mother-in-law.

Residents in and near the Mulford Gardens complex hailed the police 
crackdown and said they've noticed changes.

"There's been a big improvement in the past year in terms of getting 
rid of the drugs, the dealers, cleaning up the projects," said Joe 
Williams, 50, a teacher who has lived in Mulford Gardens for 18 
years. "I don't think there is anything more that they can do that 
they are (already) doing, because they are doing a good job."

Lawrence Young, 52, an assistant pastor at the Mount Hebron Apostolic 
Temple at 27 Vineyard Ave., next to 70 Mulford Gardens, has a 
bird's-eye perspective on the public housing complex because of his 
location. He's lived in the neighborhood for 29 years.

"It's gotten quieter. We used to have gunshots through the night," 
said Young, noting there has been an increased police presence and 
that the police response time to phone calls has improved.

"You used to have a lot of people hanging out in the street, but you 
don't have that anymore."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom