Neighbors flock to join Block Clubs, Crime Watches

At issue:  Many of the 215 neighborhood block clubs and crime watches throughout Flint are banding together to form a louder voice in community discussions.

Neighborhood block clubs and crime watches across the city have begun banding together to form a megaclub that would give citizens a louder voice in community discussions.

"It's a huge umbrella. We haven't seen much of that," said Earnestine Towns, 71, president of the Bonner Park block club.

Tuesday morning meetings of block club and crime-watch leaders have grown from a handful of folks last year to more than 50 people from throughout the city - roughly a quarter of the 200 block clubs and 15 crime watches currently operating in Flint, said acting Flint police Chief Gary Hagler.

Some are highly organized with newsletters and regular meetings, while others are more informal, with neighbors watching out for each other's homes.

Alvin Reid, president of the Trumbull Avenue block club, believes the surging interest is a sign that residents are ready to reclaim their city from blight and crime.

"We're the people, and we pay the taxes," said Reid, who has lived in Flint for more than 50 years.

The Trumbull group began about 10 years ago, and Reid said participation fluctuates as issues pop up around the neighborhood.

As vice president of the recently formed National Block Club Coalition - a Flint-based nonprofit group that promotes the formation of block clubs - Reid wants to see more clubs work together.

At a recent coalition meeting, about 30 block club representatives discussed everything from blight to the number of vacant homes in their neighborhoods.

With residents across the city comparing notes, Reid said it's easier to get a handle on what's going on in other areas.

"If the east side is having a problem with break-ins, we're all having a problem," said Reid, 68. "We're coming together."

The residents' increased participation has not gone unnoticed by Flint police, who host the Tuesday morning meetings and make regular appearances at citizen meetings across the city.

Flint Police Lt. Phil Smith called the groups essential to efforts to drive down drugs, prostitution and other crimes.

Federal grants worth upward of $225,000 for anti-drug initiatives often are tied to community groups, and Smith said the city likely would lose that money if people didn't take part in such efforts.

Smith has gone so far as to give such groups his cellphone number, adding that residents don't hesitate to use it - regardless of the hour.

"If citizens give their own time free of charge, we at the police department need to be accessible to them," Smith said.

Drumming up interest in neighborhood groups hasn't been easy, said David Starr, who has lived on Milbourne Avenue near Dayton Avenue since 1968.

About a third of the homes on the block belong to the club, and Starr said more are joining.

"It takes a little bit of time, but people are slowly getting on board," he said.

Doris McDaniel, 62, said part of the challenge is convincing younger people and those who don't own property that they have a stake in the neighborhood's future.

"It seems like the renters just don't care," said McDaniel, adding that participation in her Sterling Street-Myrtle Street club is at a high with 11 homeowners involved.

"We're joined together at the hip. We want to hold on to what we have," she said.