"Zero Tolerance of Violence" Cleans Up Hertel Alley
Eric Ortner
North Buffalo Rocket
It's not what it looks like! Russell Reinagel, a member of Zero Tolerance of Violence (ZTV), is using the product Klean Strip Graffiti Remover in order to help clean up the area surrounding Hertel Alley. photo: Eric Ortner
May 2000: The beautiful weather on Friday and Saturday allowed Zero Tolerance of Violence (ZTV) to go at it again. They continued their crusade of ridding North Buffalo of crime by cleaning up Hertel Alley.
The members of ZTV have a strong belief, based on a great deal of research, that the key to crime prevention is keeping troubled areas looking sharp. Early in March ZTV gave the Masiello administration a tour of the Alley and explained to him what needed to be done. Within days after that meeting the Mayor's Impact Team could be seen cleaning up the broken glass and other debris that was so prevalent in the area.
However, ZTV hasn't backed off after getting the city involved. On Friday, another cleanup began at four as concerned citizens continued to rectify the situation. Sarah Degnan, who is one of the founding members of ZTV, arrived a little late. That's because she had just been attending a lecture at Niagara University about crime prevention. She said that the speaker suggested cleaning up a crime-ridden neighborhood was important in crime prevention. Mrs. Degnan could hardly contain herself since ZTV was knee deep in the process of cleaning up already.
During the paint over, neighbors frequently walked by. One man wasn't quite sure if ZTV was supposed to be there or not. He came up and said, "What's going on here, I mean, I think I know, but I'm not sure." Bill Prentiss, a founding member of ZTV, was quick to explain. Mr. Prentiss said that members of the community were painting the rear of Hertel Avenue businesses with off white paint. The stretch of fresh paint covers about 6 feet of brick from the ground up, and spans the length of the alley.
Bill Prentiss further commented, "Businesses have donated more paint than we need. So there'll be stashes of paint and a roller in each of the businesses on Hertel. And as soon as some new graffiti goes up the business owner will go out and paint over it."
In this way ZTV is taking back the street. Neighbors on the Streets surrounding Hertel Alley have been experiencing the after affect of this criminal hot spot for years. A Commonwealth resident mentioned that he had been living in the area for 47 years. He said that teenagers have always used it as a place to drink alcohol, and he was glad that someone was finally bringing attention to the problem.
By actively addressing the blight of graffiti, broken glass and trash, ZTV is showing the criminal elements that people do care about the area. In this way they can reclaim the neighborhood.
