| Updated: 2/20 10:20 am |
Published: 2/19 10:55 pm
|
Tuesday evening families living near 61st and Peoria packed City Hall to put together a solution to a long time problem: crime.
City councilors arranged a task force to ensure better living. They brought their problems to the table.
Some of the people in the meeting represented taxpayers, people who live in a troubled area: 61st and Peoria, one of Tulsa’s most dangerous areas.
"It absolutely breaks my heart to see people throwing their lives away on stupid stuff like drugs and alcohol,” said Steve Miller.
Miller is raising his 16-month-old daughter, Nevaeh, by himself in Fairmont Terrace
“You got to give people something to do,” said Miller. “You have to help search for jobs."
That’s his solution to the problem. Ironically, he's one of the people who are unemployed, and stuck.
"Right now, the choice is minimum wage jobs,” said City Councilor Jeannie Cue, she organized the meeting. She and the rest of the people at the table arranged a task force to make life better.
Cue said poverty in the area dragged everyone down to a level of just surviving.
"There’s 17 government subsidized housing units, and that doesn’t count the Section 8 single family housing,” said Cue.
Many of the people in the meeting have already put together some sort of crime prevention group. It’s nothing new, but this time the idea is to come together.
"If we can unite those, we can become stronger," said Cue.
"Weeding out all the bad and keeping all the good,” said Miller.
Miller said that could be a solution that has been tabled for too long.
A survey about the 61st and Peoria area is being conducted to identify problems. Those findings will be shared in the next two months.
