There is almost no limit to what can be accomplished when government and community groups join together to tackle a problem. In High Point, North Carolina, entire neighborhoods were being lost to the scourge of drugs. Dealers took over the corners. Prostitutes walked the streets. School children cowered in their homes. As a result, property values plummeted and businesses abandoned the neighborhood. Then along came a bold new idea. It began with Professor David M. Kennedy, Director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. It was built around the notion that when criminals are confronted with the unbending will of both the police and the community, change would occur. What you are about to witness is an extraordinary event. A group of drug dealers have been summoned to a community meeting. There, they will be confronted with local, state and federal law enforcement officials who have built iron-clad cases against them. Also in the room are family, friends and community leaders. Together, law enforcement and the community deliver a single message. Your drug dealing days are over. We are taking our neighborhood back.
