Activists demand street lights and cameras in high crime areas

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- Bullets 4 life Indiana and two other community groups are calling on the city of South Bend to add street lights and cameras in high crime areas.

They believe these additions will help stop the violence in South Bend.

“They have a bunch of street lights that look they may be lit up, but when you go through these streets it is dark. We have footage of the areas. There are street lights but they’re so dim you can do whatever you want in the middle of the night," said Bullets 4 Life Indiana Chief Ambassador, Tekisha Jacobs. 

The group has four demands from the City of South Bend they say will help deter or stop violence in high crime areas listed on their flyer.

1. Add street lights in high crime areas.

2. Install cameras in high crime areas at specific intersections.

3. That south bend mayor James Mueller and city council members review their demands.

4. That city leaders attend block meetings.

In a statement to ABC57 News, South Bend Mayor, James Mueller responding to the demands with the following statement: 

“My administration prioritizes public safety and basic infrastructure services in every neighborhood,” said mayor James Mueller. “as the city continues its light up south bend program, which installs additional streetlights throughout south bend, i encourage residents to call 311 to report streetlight outages so our team can work with aep to resolve them. Residents can also call 311 to suggest locations for new streetlights.”

Since 2015, The Lamppost Lighting Program "Light Up South Bend" through South Bend’s Division of Engineering aims to improve residential safety through the installation of neighborhood street lamps.

Every year, the city chooses areas within the city based on income, number of vacant lots, and need for lighting in the neighborhood.

To Bullets 4 life Indiana, more can be done.

“They have a program, light up the city but, they’re lighting up downtown, they’re lighting up Granger, but what about the high crime areas that are completely dark," said Jacobs.

Jacobs says if these lights were to deter or stop simply one act of violence from happening, their demands were worth it.