Pubdate: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Copyright: 2006 Sun-Sentinel Company Contact: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159 Author: Maria Herrera, South Florida Sun-Sentinel CRIME RETURNING TO NORTHWOOD, RESIDENTS SAY West Palm Beach -- Residents of the Northwood neighborhoods enjoy the quaint and unassuming feel of their communities. Some, however, say that what was once an up-and-coming area has slid back into blight and is riddled with crime. "When I came here 30 years ago Pinewood Avenue was beautiful," resident Pearl El said. "Now it feels to me like I'm in a hole." Residents want accountability. And Saturday they demanded it from city officials. "I'm interested in collaboration," said El, one of more than 50 residents who gathered Saturday at the United Methodist Church of Northwood. At the meeting, top city officials, including Mayor Lois Frankel, listened to residents plead for better policing and stricter code enforcement. Members and residents of the Northend Coalition of Neighborhoods meet often to address community issues. But the chance to push for answers from police, sanitation and code enforcement officials only comes once a year. "It puts them on the spot," said coalition founder Claudia Deprez. In 2001, when Deprez started the group, the city dumped manpower and resources into the neighborhood to clean it up. Homes were improved and remodeled, a new batch of homeowners drove the values up and police presence kept drug dealers and troublemakers at bay. "It was a well-oiled wheel," she said. "Unfortunately, in the last two years the focus has been on the downtown area and on neglecting the neighborhoods." Prostitutes are back on street corners and alleys, drug dealers roam the neighborhood and break-ins and robberies are common, coalition president Terry Knight said. Assistant Police Chief Will Perez noted recent department accomplishments, including the closure of at least six houses of prostitution and the opening of a community center. He also showcased the department's Hispanic-outreach program geared to the increasing number of Guatemalans and Mexicans in the area. "They don't realize the customs of the U.S.," he said. "We have to teach them the American way." The newly arrived Hispanics don't know not to urinate or drink in public, Perez said. They're also easily victimized because many don't know the language and carry large amounts of cash with them. Residents were more concerned about seeing their stolen property in nearby pawnshops, having to deal with neighbors who host all-night parties and overgrown yards covered in trash. Frankel, however, said it is not that bad. She answered questions from residents wanting to know about code enforcement and vowed to take up a new approach to crime, but stressed that the neighborhood still is better off than some say. "The area is much improved and property values have gone up," she said. "It is still an area that has issues." Deprez, however, said she'd like to see more efforts from the city. If the coalition takes tougher measures, its options could include recalling the mayor and city commissioners, suing the city or annexing out if the city doesn't provide the services. "We have the tax revenue to do it," she said. "It would not be our first choice, but it is a choice." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake