INDIANAPOLIS — Residents say they are starting to feel unsafe in this northeast side neighborhood, after Friday marked the third homicide on Breen Drive since April.
"It's getting worse, and I don't think I am going to be here to much longer,” Banks Harold Jr. who lives in the area said. "When that happened right next door to my apartment, it was scary it still is scary. “
Harold JR. has lived at Cavalier Court Apartments for four years. That’s where Fridays homicide took place. He lived next door to 35-year-old Takeysha Burks who was killed Friday. He says it's become a scary place.
"Never in my life have I owned a gun but now I'm kind of scared for my life for my girl’s life for my kids you know,” Harold said. “I don't want to because I've never had one I didn't need one you know but now I don't even go out at night."
This neighborhood is just across the street from where 15-year-old Derrick Houston Jr. was shot and killed at a bus stop in April. What appears to be a small memorial sits next to the stop sign near where it happened.
On July 23, a man was found shot in the area of E. 38th St. and N. Post Rd. and later died. Police detained three people for the incident and located multiple firearms.
The Ross Foundation, which provides free mental health services and other resources in the far east side community, was founded by Dee Ross. He says Harold isn't the only one in the area with concerns for his safety.
"When you put a community in survival mode what do you expect them to do,” Dee Ross said. “It's like a science experiment people are going to do what they need to do to survive. "
He says to fix the violence in the area the community needs to have resources available. He says that part of the community lacks resources like other parts of the city. He says there’s no library, no bank and very few public schools. He also says drugs are a huge issue in the community, with very few places to get substance abuse treatment that is needed for their recovery.
"This area of the far east side has the biggest food desert in the state of Indiana,” Ross said. “People really forget about that. If people cannot eat they are going to do what they have got to do to eat. “
He says his organization has been able to help around 10,000 people over the two years they have been open. However, he says the Ross foundation can't do it alone.
"Until we work together and come together in solidarity, we will never put a dent in to the violence now this is good model but it's only one piece of the puzzle, " Ross said.
The resident of the apartment complex we spoke with said he feels like a stronger police presence would help people in the area feel safer and deter some acts of violence.
