Grassroots group remains steadfast in effort to curb violence
C.A.N. leaders, city officials to take a tour of the city streets together
In order to get a better picture of the city’s housing and crime issues, members of the Asbury Park Community Action Network [AP CAN] and city officials have agreed to go on a bus tour of the city streets together.
The goal is to give network leaders and city officials a clearer picture of what parts of the city require revitalization and which types of crimes specific areas of the city are affected by.
“CAN really requested to take a tour of the entire city to see what we are looking at in total in terms of quality of life,” said Mayor Myra Campbell. “There are some sections of town that may need more attention than others but there may be other parts of town that have a different type of crime. Some parts of the city have more break-ins, home entries or car entries, other parts have more violent crime. They are trying to get a total picture of where the city stands.”
AP CAN is a grassroots initiative led by faith-based groups in the city. It was started in November of last year in response to a spate of shootings that occurred in the city. The larger group is subdivided into committees that address topics organizers believe are the root causes of violence in the city. They are health, law enforcement, housing, jobs, education and family services.
The bus tour initiative comes as part of the housing and law enforcement committees.
“We really want to take a look at the entire city and then take a look at the part of the city that is lagging behind,” said Pastor Derinzer Johnson, who helped establish the AP CAN initiative with retired Asbury Park police Lt. Gorge Corbin.
“Members of the city council, the mayor, department heads and clergy will be on the bus and are going to go to the target areas, the hard-hit areas, some locations they dare not go on the West Side,” Corbin said.
City Manager John “Jack” Kelly is assisting the tour’s organization from the city side. He is shooting to schedule the tour for some time in early April when the weather will be better, he said.
“It would be great to hear the vision for the city, especially from people who have a vested interest in the city and have been here for a long time, as most of the pastors have been,” said Kelly.
Through this snapshot of the city, organizers will begin to take inventory of locations to find out if they are rented or owned, and what can be done as a collaborative effort to work with the landlords to increase the quality of life for residents, Corbin said.
“Some of the properties on the southwest quadrant are neglected by the so-called landlords,” Corbin said.
Asbury Park police Chief Mark Kinmon said he is looking forward to taking a look at the city as “a team, in unity,” he said.
“A lot of people may be familiar with one part of the city but not the other,” he said. The tour will address higher crime areas, code, and other things, he said.
Besides regular police duties, Asbury Park police also handle code enforcement issues.
Campbell said she is hopeful officials from the construction office will also be invited.
“The slum landlords in Asbury Park should be on alert,” Campbell said.
In addition to looking at dilapidated homes, the tour will look at areas of gang activity that were a major focus of Operation Dead End, Corbin said.
OTHER AP CAN-RELATED EVENTS
On Friday, March 14, member of Bishop’s Kids Productions will stage the anti-gang play “Bang! Life After Death” beginning at 7 p.m. at St. Stephens AME Zion Church, 1001 Sprongwood Ave. Admission is free and the play is suitable for all ages. For more information visit www.bishopskids.com
On Saturday, March 15, the Asbury Park Police Department will continue their “Coffee with a Cop” meeting series at America’s Cup from 9 a.m. to noon. Members of the traffic safety unit and community relations unit will be in attendance. Police Chief Mark Kinmon and Capt. Marshawn Love will start the day there before heading to another event, Kinmon said.
Two Affordable Health Care Act information and enrollment session sponsored by AP CAN will take place, one on Thurs., March 20 at 6:30 p.m. and one on Sat., March 29 at 11 a.m. Both sessions will be held at Allen Chapel AME Church, located at 214 Dewitt Ave. For more information, call 732-361-0952.
On Sat., March 22, at 12:30 p.m. a parade to symbolically unite Asbury Park’s West Side and East Side communities will leave St. Stephen’s Church at 1001 Springwood Avenue and head east towards the boardwalk. The parade will end at Langosta Lounge, 1000 Ocean Avenue, where a reception highlighting new strategies to protect Asbury Park from future storms and other threats to community resilience will be held from 2 to 4 p.m.
A workshop in financial literacy sponsored by Parent University is scheduled for March 26. “How to make your bank work for you” begins at 6:30 at St. Stephens AME Zion Church. The church is located at 1001 Springwood Ave.
Classes for AP CAN”s Parent University begin April 1. About 20 families have signed up to take part in the classes so far, Corbin said. For more information or to sign up for classes, call The AP CAN number at 732-361-0952. Residents who are in need of services are also encouraged to call with questions.
[Photo at top: Asbury Park/Neptune NAACP President Adrienne Sanders and George Corbin address the crowd at the first AP CAN meeting, the Summit to End Violence.]
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