 Patrick Meehan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. |
It was the scene of the worst mass murder in the history of Philadelphia—816 Lex Street. On December 28, 2000, 10 people were shot, 7 fatally, after being ordered to lie face down on the filthy floor of an abandoned house in the city's Mill Creek neighborhood. For 6 years that address was synonymous with death.
Today, that address and that block are unrecognizable. Reminders of that horrific scene have been bulldozed, paved over, and transformed.
A few months ago, families began moving into their new homes on the 800 block of Lex Street. After the Philadelphia Housing Authority demolished 816 Lex Street and the houses around it, a block of 18 rental townhomes were built for low-income families. The total plan calls for 685 homes—585 rental units for low-income families and seniors and 100 homes for sale to middle-income families.
I was proud to be in attendance the day the first families moved in. Our office has joined forces with the housing authority as part of the Public Housing Safety Initiative (PHSI), a joint effort of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development which is administered by U.S. Attorney's offices in cities throughout the country. In addition to law enforcement and prosecution, PHSI supports various prevention efforts and programs such as Safe Haven, after-school enrichment activities, treatment options, and offender reentry initiatives.
In June 2006, we announced a grant that would provide for ongoing law enforcement efforts and community programs in the Mill Creek neighborhood. Approximately $40,000 was allocated for video surveillance cameras. The remainder of the money will support the Men of Mill Creek, an all-volunteer community organization that provides youth services—sports, life skills, youth mentoring, tutoring—at the Mill Creek Recreation Center. The money will also be used to develop a new computer learning lab complete with new software and to provide sports equipment, transportation, new outdoor lighting for the after-school recreation programs, and overtime pay for police officers who will be stationed at the Mill Creek playground.
The redevelopment of Lex Street serves as an example of how federal, state, and local agencies can work together not only to help fulfill the basic human need for shelter and safety, but also to change the culture in a neighborhood once known only for death and anguish. Our work is far from complete, however. To ensure that this neighborhood and surrounding areas do not fall back under the influence of drugs and violence, my office is actively working with residents and law enforcement agencies on a regular basis.
The ongoing law enforcement initiative in this area is modeled after the federal gun violence reduction program, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN utilizes separate task forces made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and targets the most violent individuals and gangs for potential federal prosecution. To date, PSN in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has yielded more than 1,000 convictions. As a direct result of these prosecutions, law enforcement has obtained extraordinary cooperation from defendants who wisely choose to reduce their prison exposure by cooperating with investigators. Our partner agencies in this effort include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General; and the Philadelphia Police Department, Housing Authority Police, and District Attorney's Office.
No law enforcement effort or community program, no matter how successful, can erase the memories of what happened on Lex Street almost 7 years ago. Our mission is not to mourn the past but to help shape the future.
Brenda Mosely, one of the residents who moved into the new Lex Street homes recently, said, "A few years ago, this area needed a 'Do Not Enter!' sign. Now it should say, 'Welcome.'"
We need to do everything possible to make sure that Brenda Mosely and her new neighbors still feel welcome in another 7 years.
Patrick Meehan
U.S. Attorney
Eastern District of Pennsylvania