'It took a child getting killed' | Neighbors sound off at community meeting held in Suitland

SUITLAND, Md. — It's been a frustrating couple of months for neighbors who call the Village at Towne Square and the surrounding area in Suitland home.

Wednesday night, they got to speak their mind at a community meeting, put on by Prince George's County Councilmember At-Large Calvin Hawkins.

'I'm here. I'm taking responsibility for your concerns," he told the crowd.

"The citizens are frustrated and you all's coverage of this demonstrated that frustration," said Hawkins.

Friday, dozens of neighbors held a meeting to share their concerns. They told WUSA9 they've been dealing with more and more crime, and feel like no one is helping them.

They say they've dealt with package thefts, car thefts and car break-ins for months, but Thursday was the final straw, when a teenager was shot and killed.

Prince George's County Police Assistant Chief Vernon Hale III, told the crowd Wednesday night, that they believe this began as a robbery. He told them that one person had been arrested in connection to the robbery, but that the investigation is still underway.

"It took a child getting killed for you all to be here. That's sad," said one neighbor.

She said she and her neighbors have been calling the police department for months, begging for help regarding less serious crimes, but have been given the runaround.

Assistant Chief Hale told the crowd that crime is actually down in their specific community, but that only infuriated some of the neighbors.

"Do I have to be carjacked or dead for my concerns to matter?" asked one neighbor.

He told WUSA9 that he understands that statistics don't really matter when it comes to situations like this.

"Fear of crime is just as important as the crimes themselves, and it's our job to fix those perceptions," he said.

"You gotta make it hot again," said one neighbor to the officers in attendance. She says if they increase their presence, the people committing crimes will steer clear.

But others said, that's not a solid long term solution.

"You gotta build a bridge, not just make it hot," said one man in the crowd.

He explained that the police department needs to do a better job of relating to these younger people, and that the people who live here also need to do the same.

"These youth don't know you love Suitland," he said.

Some people who shared their thoughts with the crowd, said there needs to be more focus on helping the young people.

The Assistant Chief said he'd be open to working with local groups who are focused on that.

"We will be at the table here to support, and sometimes there are people who can do it better than we can and we want to be the support system not the leaders in those circumstances," said Hale.

He told WUSA9 he's walking away from the meeting with a lot of notes.

"Gonna go back and dig deeper into what are the root causes in this community. Is it particular people or places? We try to address those things where they are," he said.

The meeting gave hope to some neighbors, who told WUSA9 they love calling Suitland home.

"This is not a bad area. It's what comes into the area. There are positive people who've come out of Suitland... and that's why we need support to help keep it great," said Lisa Gandy.

She told WUSA9 she hopes those in attendance were listening.

"I hope that all of these people that are wearing these badges. All of these people who are running for office, that they hear these people out," said Gandy.

"I live in Suitland, I love Suitland. I've been here since 1979. It is a good community. It is good people here," said Carol Jones, who is with the Suitland Civic Association.

"We need to have protection around here and if we don't, the bad people will take advantage of us. We need to let them know, hey no, not here. Go somewhere else, it won't happen here and we can only do it if we all stick together," said Jones.

She and others are hopeful that this meeting will lead to good things.

WUSA9 asked Assistant Chief Hale how he is going to ensure the department shows up for this community, beyond Wednesday night.

"It's always an obligation Chief Aziz has made to this community. Somebody's gonna be there whether it's me, whether it's him, our community police officers. We don't run away from it," he said.

Hawkins echoed that sentiment, telling WUSA9 he's planning to organize a safety walk and more meetings.