LAWRENCE — It has been a month marked by murders, shootings, stabbings and one of the bloodiest nights the police chief has seen in more than a decade.
The outbreak of violence has some residents questioning whether all of the progress the city made against crime over the last decade may be slipping away. Some are even comparing this summer to the late '90s — a time when violent crime was an everyday occurrence and certain neighborhoods were war zones.
These days, a new type of gang is roaming the streets. They go by names like DA BLOK, NTO and TBN. They aren't running any drug or car stealing operations, and there is no organized leadership like the Latin Kings or MS13, national gangs that once controlled Lawrence's streets.
They're young, carry guns, like to fight and have no rules, police Chief John Romero said.
People young and old are scared that the violence isn't going to end.
"You can't go outside without hearing gunshots," Zoelis Lopez, 17, said. "It scares me, but sadly it's reality, and you get used to that."
"Every time my son leaves the house, I pray to God that he comes back alive," added Rosa Vasquez, a Prospect Hill resident.
Romero, who succeeded in drastically reducing crime when he came on board in the late '90s, called this summer's violence a "spike" that his department is working hard to bring down.
The city has seen seven murders so far this year, where the average had been four or five a year. And police have recovered 41 firearms this year, almost double the number at this time last year.
There have been 183 aggravated assaults and 12 shootings this year, compared to 179 assault and 10 shootings at this time last year.
The night of Friday, July 24, running into the following morning, was the most violent Romero has seen in his 11 years in Lawrence, with four stabbings, two shootings and one death.
He did not downplay what happened in July — calling the situation serious — but said the crime statistics are nowhere near where they were in the '90s.
"One month, good or bad, doesn't make a year," Romero said. "It is a good indication of what will come without any intervention. It's an indication for us."
There were 3,953 felony crimes in Lawrence in 1998. So far this year, there have been about 930.
"That's still more than a 50 percent reduction from where we were. We're never going to get there," Romero said. "But there has been an increase of guns on the street and gang activity. It's something we're targeting."
The chief said it has been hard for his department. At the same time that crime is spiking, his force has lost $1 million in community policing money and $2 million from its budget.
The department has 16 fewer sworn officers than it did a few years back, having dropped from 161 to 145. He has moved 10 officers off special operations teams like the drug unit, gang unit and auto theft to patrol the streets and answer calls.
"I'm not blaming anyone," Romero said. "The economy is bad. Almost every one of us is out there, patrolling the streets."
The chief is scheduled to go before the Lawrence City Council on Thursday to talk about the recent spate of crime, cuts to police resources and how important it is for the entire community to work together.
Romero has been making the rounds at community meetings and hopes this week's National Night Out activities will also strengthen the department's partnership with residents. This year's theme is Night Out Against Crime and Drugs.
"We need the residents to buy into what we're doing and to be our eyes and ears," he said. "We really need the public to be successful."
Romero said the department is also actively pursuing state and federal funds he hopes will restore dwindling overtime money, allowing more community policing. They will continue to use special units to target the issues leading to the crimes. And the department's crime analysis unit will use its figures to flood the recent hot spot areas with patrols.
"We've almost been sliding into a reactive mode," he said. "You don't want to be always reacting to what already happened. That's no way to fight crime. We have to get back to the proactive mode. That's what has been our bread and butter for the past 10 years."
Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan said he blames the economy for the recent escalation in violence. The city's unemployment rate in June was 17.3 percent, which he said is the highest in the state. The state unemployment average is at 8.7 percent.
"When people have too much free time, that's when things start to happen," the mayor said. "Right now, it seems like it's a lot of gangs fighting rival gangs... It's not just policing that will solve this problem."
Residents say they just want to see some solutions. They understand that it's not only policing that will wipe out the city's current gang problems.
Keith Wlodyka, president of the Tower Hill Neighborhood Association, called the rise in crime and murders "disappointing." But he said more police, an active community watch group, a stronger judicial system, parental guidance and education are needed to get the city out of this hole.
Joseph Diaz, 16, of Tower Hill, said it starts at home.
"Families should get together and show the kids the consequences of their actions and how it can damage their reputation," he said. "It's hard to get rid of something so deep-rooted in society. I don't know when (the violence) is going to end, but I hope it's soon."
Kim Hernandez, 15, president of her class at Lawrence High, knew 18-year-old Gabriel Gonzalez, a gang member who was shot and killed while buying cigarettes on Exeter and South Union streets in late June.
"Losing them makes me feel angry," she said. "I've shed tears and I don't understand when they are going to stop fighting."
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ
Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
Deadly Summer
June 27: Gabriel Gonzalez Jr., 18, is shot in the head near his Exeter Street home. He dies the next day.
July 19: Johan Ferrer, 19, is shot in the head in the same area where Gonzalez was killed. He lives.
July 24-July 25: What Chief John Romero calls the worst night of violence in 11 years- two shootings and four stabbings.
July 25: Rolando Fuentes, 33, is gunned down in a Broadway strip mall parking lot.
July 25: Fuentes' brother, 36-year-old Orlando Fuentes, allegedly fires several rounds into a Willow Street home, wounding a 71-year-old man, in retaliation.
