FLORENCE — Community residents from across Florence County met Thursday to discuss the problems in certain Florence neighborhoods and what could be done to stop them.
The meeting was held in north Florence in light of the the stabbing death of Willie May Hayes in August.
Her body was found in a ditch on Malloy Street, not far from her home north Florence home.
Her death prompted residents to think about ways they could protect themselves and their families from similar crimes.
Florence City Councilman Ed Robinson attended the meeting and told residents about several crime-deterring ideas that are being discussed.
A curfew during school hours for people younger than 17 would give law enforcement the power to arrest those found loitering in public, he said.
The curfew would be mandatory and is an effective way to keep children off the streets, as well as keeping them out of trouble, Robinson said.
Another idea for fighting crime that was discussed Thursday was the installation of public surveillance cameras.
“People and businesses have surveillance cameras to protect their interests, so we need surveillance cameras,” Robinson said.
The cameras would be portable and not be fixed in one location, he said.
This would allow them to be easily taken down and reinstalled in problem locations as needed. The cameras would be paid for by community organizations and donations from residents.
Meeting attendees also were encouraged to entertain the thought of turning the former Florence County Library into an activity center for teens, Robinson said.
“It’s perfect for what they need, they’ll be in a safe environment with things to do,” he said.
Children who do attend school often come home to a depressing environment, Robinson said.
A new teen center would be an outlet for them and a place to show and cultivate personal talents that otherwise would go unnoticed, he said.
To fight crime and save Florence communities from collapsing into a dismal state, he said residents must embrace children and give them alternatives to wrongdoing.
Florence resident Jeanne Downing said she doesn’t live in the north Florence area, but she attended the meeting because some changes need to be made in order to prevent homicides, such as the Hayes murder.
“Any of the solutions discussed would work,” Downing said. “It’s going to take all of them combined, not one thing is going to fix the problem.”
City officials and community organizers are in the process of planning a follow-up meeting for later this month.
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