Crime's numbing reality

By JASON NARK

(Originally published in the Courier Post)

Jasmin Smith didn't realize she was walking past a memorial Monday for two women killed by stray bullets.

The candles and deflated balloons mark the area where Tinesha Lewis and Robin Battie were shot in September near Thurman and Lewis streets.

But inside the breast pocket of her jacket, Smith carried her own memorial: three photographs of her cousin, Matthew Dunlap, who was fatally shot July 7.

"There's so many memorials in Camden, I didn't even know,' said the 23-year-old nurse, surveying the tribute. "That's everyday for us. We're born and raised with that.'

It was no surprise to Smith that a new report calls Camden the nation's most-dangerous city. The ranking is part of Morgan Quinto's City Crime Rankings, an annual reference book of crime statistics to be published next month.

Camden was ranked third-worst last year, but a sharp spike in crime in 2003 propelled it over the previous leader, Detroit, which fell to second this year.

The rankings look at the rate of crime, and include six categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and auto theft, all of which increased in Camden last year. The city has had 45 homicides as of Nov. 16 -- four more than were reported through all of 2003.

Joe Fields was one of those homicides. An innocent bystander, Fields was shot in the head when an 18-year-old opened fire with an AK-47 near a Fairview Wawa on July 17.

"Everybody who got shot that day was innocent,' said Adamino Roman, 31, standing about 40 yards from where Fields fell. "It was the worst sight I've ever seen in my life.'

Roman said he would like to see more police on the street corners.

"If they don't do that, it will just keep going and going,' he said.

At an afternoon news conference Monday, Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi said the report came as no surprise.

"It has not been a good year,' he said. "It calls out for some action.'

Sarubbi said law enforcement in Camden has made about 8,000 arrests this year and could reach as many as 10,000 by year's end, yet he reiterated his mantra that arrests alone cannot solve Camden's problems.

"This is a multifaceted problem,' Sarubbi said.

Drugs, unemployment, poverty and education are all added weights to the burden of law enforcement in the city, he said. New initiatives, such as increased foot patrols, a nonfatal shooting investigation team, and an anti-graffiti program, have seen some results, Sarubbi said.

"At this point, however, they are a drop in the bucket,' he said.

Sarubbi said he will meet with federal and state legislators on possible funding that could increase the number of officers in the city.

Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey said at a news conference that he was working on new initiatives for Camden as well, noting that he had recently met with Sen. Wayne Bryant, D-Lawnside.

"We're trying to do something else for Camden,' Codey said. "Hopefully, we can get it done. Hopefully, that announcement will be down the road, but not too far down the road.'

Angela Medina, 23, said the people of Camden have become too entrenched in the city's problems to make a difference.

"I think the people here are just too scared to say anything about crime,' Medina said while waiting for her clothes at the Village Laundromat in Fairview. "Some people sell drugs right from their family's house, in front of their parents.'

Medina said her son, 6-year-old Troy Anderson, regularly hears gunshots outside their home.
"It's like we're desensitized,' she said.'

Olga Gonzalez sees police in her East Camden neighborhood often, but that didn't stop the shooting death of her 12-year-old son, Pedro Molina Jr., Oct. 2.

Pedro was sitting on the front step of his North 25th street home at 2 a.m. when four men approached him and stole his radio. Two suspects have been charged. Authorities say one of them, Jesse Sepulveda, shot Pedro several times as the boy tried to escape into his home.

A memorial sits out front of the Molina home as well.

"It's just a shame there's so much violence,' said Gonzalez, 35.

At a news conference at City Hall, Randy Primas, the city's chief operating officer, echoed some of Sarubbi's statements about crime problems, but also noted there is unprecedented economic development in the city as well.

"What this study shows is that this is a culmination of a city that is impoverished,' said Primas, noting that Camden is one of the poorest cities in the country.

Jasmin Smith said the violent crimes, including the death of her cousin, also are a culmination of various elements. She said it's difficult for people in Camden to find a moment of happiness, let alone a decent job.

"If we could just get a decent environment, with cleaner streets maybe,' she said, motioning to the trash-strewn streets and abandoned buildings. "These streets right here are where some people in Camden die and others have to live their lives.'

With that, Smith put her headphones back on and continued her walk to her grandmother's house on Randolph Street. On the way she'll pass a memorial to an ex-boyfriend, and to her cousin, his picture now fading on a stop sign.