Prostitutes, Drug Deals Worry Area East Central Residents Invited To Volunteer At C.O.P.S. East
Linda Dustin blames hookers and a drug house in her East Central Spokane neighborhood for the troubles she has had with her lawn.
Earlier this year, she began noticing used needles and condoms tossed in her yard.
The problem became so acute, Dustin said, that condoms clogged her lawn mower, causing it to burst into flames the first time she mowed her lawn this spring.
She’s become so fed up with the drug house behind her home near Eighth and Greene - and the prostitutes who live there - that she’s seeking help from other neighbors to stop the crime.
Dustin and about 25 other residents attended a meeting at the East Central Community Center to voice frustration about prostitution and drug dealing there.
Police urged residents to become involved in community-oriented policing to stop the problems. They said the C.O.P.S. East substation isn’t open because it doesn’t have enough volunteers.
“You are the people who cared enough to show up,” said Bill Schaber, the area’s neighborhood resource officer.
“If you don’t do something, who will?”
Carol Taylor organized a meeting earlier this month to discuss how to stop the spread of prostitution and drugs throughout East Central.
“We’ve been getting a lot of prostitution up here that I haven’t noticed before,” said Taylor, who lives only a couple of blocks west of Freya. “What I’m worried about mostly is what kind of people they’re bringing in here.”
Some in Dustin’s neighborhood said that drug houses are becoming more numerous, spreading farther to the south and east.
One woman who declined to be named said she feared fighting the criminals because of the repercussions she might face.
“That’s what they’re counting on, your fear,” Lt. Jim Nicks said.
At the end of the hourlong meeting, some residents stayed to fill out applications to volunteer at the police substations.
“This isn’t going to be a quick fix,” Nicks said. “We need to get a core group established.”
, DataTimes