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A missing man found murdered and dismembered and the beating death of another man in the Eastside neighborhood has prompted activists to plan a march in early November. Helentown's Tom Wherry and Eastside's Bennie Doggett have called for "Stand Up Covington: A Rally Against Crime & Violence". The Eastside murders are part of six in the city this year, twice the number from last year and only two fewer than the previous four years combined.
The year before Police Chief Lee Russo arrived in town there were thirteen homicides. "I hope that if (these murders are) a spike that we will see, we won't get anywhere near that thirteen," Russo said Wednesday night at the Chief's community forum. Twenty Covingtonians gathered in a conference room at police headquarters to hear Russo speak of a spike in many categories of crime in multiple neighborhoods. "We've seen a remarkable increase in violent crime," Russo said.
It's not just Helentown, Eastside and Austinburg either. One of the six murders happened in Licking Riverside which is also dealing with an increase in car break-ins, a problem escalating throughout the city. "In the previous four months we averaged 31.8 cases (of car break-ins) per month. This past month we've seen 41," Russo said. Burglaries are also on the rise.
"The previous four months we averaged in the mid-50s, low-60s for burglaries, this past month it jumped to 103," Russo said. "It could be simply the economy, people are changing behavior, getting off unemployment. This is the only thing they can think to do," Russo said. In other instances, "People can't afford their homes and are selling items and reporting them stolen for the insurance money."
But it's the murders and other violent crimes that got the most attention at the forum with much attention being paid to criminal activity along 13th Street in the Eastside. "13th Street is a drug alley, people are there to buy hot (stolen) goods," one resident said.
"Since May, we've seen a pickup in assaults and shootings in that area," Russo said. "In July, I put another officer there (using grant money) and another after that murder. That's in addition to the regular patrol."
"It's escalating since they closed Jacob Price because people are looking for a new block," the resident said. "I had a bullet come through the house. Luckily I wasn't in the bedroom for someone to get hurt."
"Jacob Price families are relocating to the area of Eastside and brining a certain element," Russo agreed. "It's important to build block watches, citizens on patrol, communication between neighbors. It amazes me when I get a burglary report that a 52-inch TV was stolen. If someone's walking down the street with one and it's not in a box, it's probably a good reason to call us."
The planned rally by Wherry and Doggett does not yet have an exact date but Wherry says to expect it in early November. "This is all about Covington, our image, everything that needs to happen here," Wherry said. "Criminals need to know that we care, but we need people that care to know that we care too to embolden them. This won't be a flash in the pan. We'll talk about a course of action after we get people's attention."
The rally will include a march from The Carnegie to various sites of violent crime and end at the Hub in Helentown.
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