ANTI-DRUGS CAMPAIGN TARGETS A HOT SPOT

Traffic detoured from Woodland Street to Sigourney Street provided
the Rev. Cornell Lewis and a team of anti-drug and anti-violence
crusaders with plenty of exposure Friday night.

Passing motorists tooted their horns and flashed thumbs-up to the
activists. People watched from their porches as Lewis and his group
hung a sign that said, "Stop the Violence/Take Back the Community" in
front of a house known in the neighborhood for drug dealing.

Kenneth Arnum, who has joined Lewis at several other vigils, was
hoping some people from the neighborhood around Sigourney Square Park
would join the enthusiastic drivers.

"I don't care about the cars," Arnum said. "I want to see the people
who live in the neighborhood come out and show support. Then we'll be
getting somewhere."

And that's been the whole point of ongoing efforts by Lewis and his
activists - to maintain a presence in a neighborhoods and discourage
drug dealing and gunplay. Lewis said he has contacted several
Hartford landlords and he and his team will visit more neighborhoods
during a summerlong offensive against drugs, violence and
hopelessness.

The activists were invited to 156-158 Sargeant St. by the landlord,
Carl Milner of Hartford. The vigil at Milner's 10-unit apartment
house, which will continue today, is the first time Lewis and his
followers have maintained a vigil at a house identified as a center
for drug users and dealers.

"The dealers come into the building and deal from the apartments of
the users," Milner said Friday afternoon. "That's the thing I want to
deal with the most ... to stop the drug dealers from coming into the
building and setting up shop in the apartments of the users."

Milner and the others said they have no illusions of ending problems
at the house at Sargeant and Sigourney streets. Still, they said, the
effort is worthwhile.

"Maybe when we leave they might come back," Lewis said of the
dealers. "Maybe they won't. At least it will raise the consciousness
of the people [and] show them that some people are willing to do more
than run and duck their heads in the sand."

Several tenants said they welcomed the effort, although few joined
the activists in front of the house.

Reaching people and giving them hope is the key, Arnum said.

"If we had the people in the neighborhood with us, they could
continue what we're doing," he said.