a
si
e Detroit residents figh
DBTROrr - "What people
wanted way of dealing
ith the crime problem,"
T . Smith said.
East side Detroit residents
got together . th police support
and formed all organization
called Cops and eighbors.
Since then it has received
state and local grants. Smith is
now the Community Education
Coordin tor nd one of its
. founders, Janice Johnson, is
director.
Cops and eighbors has a
pecial phone number, ere
people can report cr or drug
houses, chop shops or yother
"m e activities" in their ar
giving their names. The
number· (313) 822-3460
the program ometimes gets
calls far away Superior
Township aDd Ann Arbor.
A big priority of the or-
·OD is to preve people
from u ing drugs. The or­
ga ization has vol teer
speakers giving prcscntatio
for free to people of all
groups on the dangers of drup.
The peakers ve different
per pective on drug, e
notes, Some are experts, some
former addicts, some young
people,· ·th a 00 ledge of
how young people feel
The organization also
provides a book for younger
children on drugs, created with
the cooperation of both the
community and police. Smith
describe it as honest and
"graphic" about the dangers of
using narcotics, but it also talks
about positive alternatives.
Volunteers in the group or­
ganize neighborhood watch and
"bu iness atch" programs,
where people atch out for
suspected criminal ctivities.
They also do independent
ects ofh6mes and busin
to determine how safe they are
from burglaries and sometimes
drop tickets" on cars, evaluat­
ing how safe they are from car
theft.
One way to discourage
thieves from stealing a car and
get it back after it is stolen, she
said, is to etch the auto vehicle
identification number on it.
Shops illegally dealing in stolen
cars pay less for such cars, be­
cause they would have to tear
out and replace the windo
If the car is tolen and
recovered, victims. can prove
that the car is their .
The organization is willing to
put the. number on the win­
do for free, whether or not
the owner lives in Detroit.
However, for legal reasons,
ovember 12-18, 1989
crime
the ·owners· themselves must
come and present a valid
driver's license. It must also be
d ne on a-day that is not raining
and is not below 45 degrees.
For further information
about this and other activities in
the program, call (313) 331-
0630.
Cops and Neighbors has
strong involvement by young
pe pie, through the Junior
Crime Prevention Program,
which is active in organizing
community projects.
. Last year it received an
award from the International
Society of Crime Prevention
Practitioners, where it is a mem­
ber organization.
ACO pro) ct
9 h Ip to
homeless
osraorr - The Michigan
Avenue Community Organiza­
tion (MACa) received
$226,000 from the Ford Foun-
dation, the Skillman and
Enterprize Foundations, the
Michigan State Housing
Development Authority, the
MiclUpn Department of Social
Services, and the Manufac­
turers Bank of Detroit for a
demonstration project which
would care for the homeless in
a more responsive y.
MACO President David
D er stated that many shel­
. ters placed peop e in one room,
segregated by sex, with children
in a family living with iogle
men.
MACa, however, will build
an eight unit shelter t 5904 - 18
Gilbert ne r Willete, which
ould be arranged like apart­
ments.
For those seeking help,
Dasher notes, this arrangement
would be "less traumatic,·
making it "easier for them to get
their lives back to normal and
B!acks complete
purchase of
Denver uggets
DENVER. Co. - Two Black
businessmen appear to have
fmally ironed out the details for
the purchase of the Denver
Nuggets of the ational Bas et­
ball Association.
Chicao businessmen
Bertram Lee and C.B. Bynoe
will manage the business affairs
of the team but they apparently
had to bring in a white firm,
COMSAT of Washington,
D.C., to come up with the
financing. Lee and Bynoe will
have 37.5% of owership while
COMSAT will have 62.5% The
purchase price was $54 million.
find-permaJient housing."
The MACa shelter would
provide residents with counsel­
ing to get permanent homes, but
would refer residents to outside
agencies for related problems
which may have caused the
homelessness, such �s spouse
abuse and unemployment.
An open house will be held
at the shelter building from 12 -
7 p.m. Tuesday November 21
commemorating the beginning
of this service.