Flint Hill is happy with increased police patrols.
That was the message conveyed by the Rev. Brenda Peace of Greater Little Zion Holy Church on Monday night at the Speak Up Henderson forum. And it was the message supported by Eugene Burton, who heads the Flint Hill Neighborhood Association.
Peace’s church sits on Flint Street in the heart of Flint Hill, and the pastor said she spoke for her congregants after discussing the issue with them Sunday.
“My stand is that I appreciate what they’re doing because since they’ve been patrolling Flint Hill, we don’t have as much activities,” Peace said of the police. She cited the example of an 83-year-old woman who can walk safely to and from church now.
“To just clear the air for the Flint Hill community … we want the police to continue what they’re doing,” she said.
City Council members Lonnie Davis and Mike Rainey thanked Peace for her remarks in support of the police efforts in Flint Hill. Those efforts have faced some public criticism, especially from the Rev. C.J. Dale, who has accused the police of cracking down on black people in Flint Hill while ignoring white people in the country club area.
But that criticism has come from people who don’t live in Flint Hill. Burton, the Flint Hill association head, said people who live there are happy to see more of the police.
“It’s getting better,” Burton said, adding that he backed Peace’s statement. If anything, Burton said, Flint Hill still needs more police on the streets.