Antioch confronts bad image

By RACHEL STULTS • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • July 14, 2008 If it's bad, it must have happened in Antioch. Leaders living in the southeast Davidson County community say that's what a lot of people think but it's not fair. "We're here to say Antioch gets a lot of bad press," said Sim Hassler, senior pastor at Antioch First Baptist Church. "We have many problems in Antioch. But there's also a lot of good stuff going on in Antioch and nobody ever hears about it." With its ever-changing demographic complexion, Antioch has long been saddled with the stigma of being a crime-ridden community where gangs and violence drive out businesses. The community has dealt with its share of struggles and crime, leaders say. But the problems aren't beyond repair, and several activists are taking steps to transform Antioch's image. It's the reason Rodney Beard, pastor at Living Word Community Church, moved his congregation from south Davidson County to Hickory Hollow Parkway three months ago. Church leaders wanted to reach out to the Antioch community. Several weeks ago, leaders at Living Word decided to hold a car and bike show at Hickory Hollow Mall to draw the men and women who are known to speed up and down the community's roads, the ones people say come from "the hood" or "Lower Antioch." They hoped to open a dialogue between the groups, introduce them to collectors and show them that crime doesn't have to be their hobby, Beard said. The event was a success, leaders said, drawing about 80 people, and nearly 30 were in the church's target audience. But the feedback from others wasn't what Beard anticipated. People told him to expect disaster. Bullets were going to fly, they said, drug dealers would emerge, and immigration services would need to be called to make arrests. "That's appalling when a positive situation is taking place in Antioch that people would see it in a negative light," Beard said. "When we do positive activities that families could be involved in, we can begin to pull the communities together around something other than the negative connotations we see in the papers. People in Antioch just haven't spoken up to say, 'Wait a minute, don't stigmatize me that way.' " Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas said South Nashville and Antioch are as high a priority as anywhere else, and he's stepped up enforcement in areas known to breed crime. There have been improvements, Serpas said, but good things were already happening. "I've lived in other cities, and seen parts of a city get reputations that are completely undeserved," Serpas said. "I think that Antioch has probably gotten a little of that." Many crimes are down While the 37013 ZIP code saw spikes in violent and property crimes last year, police say they've seen reductions already this year. Antioch showed 16 rapes this time last year, compared with 12 this year; 96 robberies dropped to 83; and 177 aggravated assaults dwindled to 135. But homicides have increased, with three murders so far this year and none recorded through July last year, according to Metro police. Jim Hodge, a Metro councilman, says Antioch often takes the heat for nearby crime. "Anything from Nolensville Road over to Hermitage is suddenly Antioch," said Hodge, who lives in Tusculum and represents a portion of Antioch."If it bleeds it leads, and if it's anywhere near Antioch they're going to call it Antioch. I don't think it's a conscious decision, but people get to thinking in verbal shorthand." It's a stigma Melanie Ewing, 25, faces when she tells her friends she lives in Antioch.Usually, they cringe.She doesn't quite understand their reaction — it's not that bad, she said. She even had an opportunity to move to Hermitage but didn't take it. "I don't feel unsafe living here," Ewing said. "I just feel like it has a bad reputation. If you keep hearing about Antioch all the time, you think it's the worst place to be." Some residents worry Darryle Rucker, 66, tells a different story. He moved to Antioch 10 years ago for the nice neighborhood and the then-manicured lawns.Today, Rucker hears gunshots at night. Cars speed up and down his street. He plans to ask for more police presence; he and his wife are thinking about installing security windows and doors.Eventually, Rucker said, they may move to another part of town. It's only going to get worse, he said."It's headed towards another direction," Rucker said. Those competing emotions are what fuels Antioch Churches Together. It's a group of 15 pastors who meet weekly to cry and pray over Antioch. They worry the community's problems are intensifying, but at the same time, they see residents who are dedicated to making it a better place to live, work and play. "I think the day will come when the reports will be as good about Antioch as they have been bad," Sim Hassler said. "… I think people are going to be surprised."

Police Offer Dozens Of Tips To Curb Auto Thefts

Posted:Channel 5 NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Every year hundreds of vehicles are stolen in Middle Tennessee. Metro police said they've come up with 50 ways to keep your car safe. Even with the advent of bait cars and security alarms auto theft is still big in Nashville. Thieves are getting away with too many vehicles. Since June 12, 168 vehicles have been reported stolen in Davidson County. In more than half the cases the victims made one big mistake. They left keys in the car. If you're a thief you couldn't ask for a better invitation. "I mean thieves are out there looking to victimize everybody. They don't need any help," said Sgt. Billy Smith of Metro's Auto Theft Unit. The Metro Police Department's newest crime prevention program is called 50 Ways To Keep Your Car Safe. And, it may all seem like common sense reminders. But, police said, they see people making the same mistakes over and over again. "The obvious thing, take your keys with you when you go, which will make it harder for the thief to steal. Never, ever, ever leave the title," Smith said. Tennessee law requires a registration in the car -- not the title. "If they steal the car there's nothing they can do with that. If your title is in the car when they steal the car that car is theirs," Smith said. He also advised against hiding a key on the car. "Once they got that, they've got your car," he said. "I know it's hot, 100 degrees out here, but if you leave your car windows down it's another avenue to get into your automobile," he said. Locks are also important. Most new cars have the kind you can't get a hold of, but older cars "have the T's on them." "It's easy to run anything through here or through the door and pop that open and they're in the vehicle," Smith said. He said always park your car with the wheels turned because some thieves will try to tow your vehicle away. He also advised against leaving valuables sitting in the car. To a thief, a purse or bag means the possibility of an extra set of keys. To see video:http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=8663541&nav=menu374_2_8

Another Problem with '911" Calls in Nashville

Couple Displeased By 911 Response Time Husband, Wife Mugged Downtown Reported By Marc Stewart POSTED: 1:45 pm CDT May 14, 2008 UPDATED: 2:45 pm CDT May 14, 2008 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A Nashville couple was mugged on a downtown city street, and they aren't pleased with the response time from 911. The victims said it took almost five minutes for anyone to answer their call. "I was just about to swipe (my security card,) when the guy put me in a headlock and threw me on the ground right here," victim Ben Bahil. Bahil said he was attacked from behind, put in a headlock and thrown to the ground as he was about to enter a building. He called 911 for help but someone didn’t pick up his call until four minutes and 28 seconds later. "Four minutes is ridiculously long for someone to answer the phone at 911," said Bahil. He and his wife were not hurt, but he wonders what would have happened if the situation was more serious. "If one of us had been bleeding, if one of us had been hurt severely, four minutes can mean the difference of life and death in some situations," said Bahil. If there is a delay in the 911 system, there is a goal set for answering in no more than 90 seconds. Amanda Sluss of the office of emergency management said that, "People should absolutely have confidence in the 911 system." According to 911 dispatch officials, when this happened at 1 a.m. two weekends ago, the 911 center was getting a spike in calls. During the 15 minutes before Bahil dialed, Sluss said they were handling several emergencies, including a suicide attempt and an officer needing assistance. They said 27 calls came during that period, seven of which were hang-ups that required call backs. "This situation that we're talking about here, when you're referring to when you have these great spikes in 911 calls is not a staffing issue. We're dealing with technology, and we're dealing with the fact that sometimes there are major incidents," said Sluss. "It's not that, we can't have 50, 40 call takers at any given time. We don't have that staffing, but we don't have those numbers to be able to staff." Bahil said he doesn't like that explanation and will push for change. "Until it is (changed,) my advice is to anyone living in Davidson County is try not to have a life threatening emergency," said Bahil. Currently there is no permanent director of the Davidson County 911, but a national search is being conducted to fill the position. Please watch this video. http://www.wsmv.com/news/16262325/detail.html Copyright 2008 by WSMV.com. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.