Queensborough residents get chance to address concerns

"You know they want to go inside of it, kids skip school and all that kind of stuff."

The abandoned homes aren't the only problem. Residents are also tired of the sporadic gunfire at night.

"That's what frightens a lot of people because they're sitting outside and it's like dusk, dark or whatever, and all of a sudden, they hear shots, they're going to go in the house," said Roosevelt Whitehurst, Jr.

"They don't know where that bullet is going to land."

The youth in the neighborhood said they need more activities.

"If we had something to do, we wouldn't be getting in as much trouble as people expect us do," said Willie Thompson.  "Since we ain't got nothing to do, it's going to be more crime and we gone need more police."

To address these concerns, and many more, Councilman Sam Jenkins is hosting two neighborhood meetings:

Monday, Oct. 15, 2012    Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012

Bilberry Park   Bill Cockrell Park

6-7:30 p.m. 6-7:30 p.m.

 "This is something that I try to do to make sure that we are meeting and we're exchanging information face to face and working together to make our neighborhoods safe, clean, and a good place to live," said Jenkins.

One of the main topics of the meeting will be the changes that are coming to Bilberry Park. Kids playing basketball there said they can't even play without falling on their ankles because the floor is so slippery.

"I think we need a gym," said Thompson.  "Because playing out, it's always hot, no outside water, we can't drink when we get tired and ain't nobody watching out for us. Anything could happen."

Along with the park, the meeting will also cover what's being done to reduce crime in the area, street repairs, and several new ordinances such as the front yard parking ordinance.

"We don't want anyone caught off guard when these changes go into effect," said Jenkins.

If you have concerns, Jenkins said the meetings are the first step to getting them resolved.

For more information, call 318-636-4266