An effort to improve the appearance and safety of Syracuse’s South Side was on display Thursday as Mayor Stephanie Miner and Police Chief Frank Fowler observed crews cutting down trees and shrubs. Miner says the effort by the Multi-Agency Service Team, or M.A.S.T on Fitch Street is focused on eliminating vacant lots and overgrown shrubbery that aids criminals.
"The environment is one part that allows criminals to feel safe. That's the last thing that we want is criminals feeling safe and secure in our city."
Chief Fowler says the SPD uses data to designate specific areas for re-development based on volume of crime. So far, he says police have conducted warranted searches, street operations, and deployed a Crime Reduction Team to analyze and slow down crime. Now, Fowler says, they are on the tail end of the operation: the environment.
Fowler and Miner approached a family sitting on their porch to ask what they think of the situation. Miner says her ultimate goal is to have that family feel safe, have their kids play outside anytime they want, and to live in a city they feel proud of. Despite these efforts, resident Emmanuel Snipes says the city has ignored his pleas for more than five years to put lights and trash cans on the streets, and to renovate the parks. He says the work being done is somewhat helpful, but it won’t bring change until all neighbors take ownership.
“It's not enough, it's never enough when you take the city government, instead of the people, which is the true government. Until the true government is involved, it will never be enough”
Meanwhile, Chief Fowler says neighborhood renovations will continue at a steady and noticeable pace. Members of the the multi-agency service team include: the city police department, fire department, code enforcement, public works, water department, law department, land bank, animal control, department of Neighborhood and Business development, Syracuse-Onondaga Planning Agency, and National Grid.
