Pastor Stephen Smith of Downtown Community Church, right, talks Monday to Patrick Morrow, manager of the recently remodeled Alicia Motel at 13th and Fremont streets in downtown Las Vegas. Community leaders say that lower Fremont Street is trying to break from its reputation as a crime-ridden area of downtown. Photo by K.M. Cannon.

The Rev. Stephen Smith of Downtown Community Church at 901 E. Ogden Ave. has heard a lot of complaints about his lower Fremont Street community, but one complaint he recently heard made him proud of where he lives.

"I was looking at some building construction, and this guy says to me, 'I got to move. I can't live here anymore,'" Smith said.

Smith said after seeing improvement in the downtown area -- especially in crime prevention -- he was dumbfounded by the comment.

"But then he told me, 'I can't live here because it's gotten too fancy.' The neighborhood was too nice for him now," Smith said.

Community leaders are saying that the East Fremont Street area is trying to break from its reputation as crime-ridden. Smith said he has seen kids playing in the streets, mothers pushing babies in strollers and visitors stopping by for dinner and drinks -- all small signs of progress.

Residents are celebrating tonight with a concert and barbecue at Fremont and 15th streets as a part of the 23rd annual National Night Out.

All around the valley, neighborhoods will be holding block parties to participate in the event, which promotes crime prevention and community involvement.

But Las Vegas police spokesman Bill Cassell said the 15th and Fremont neighborhood is special.

Cassell said police in the area have worked with residents to help build awareness and trust. He said the results have been positive, with robberies and assaults on a slight but steady five-year decline in the Downtown Area Command. Calls to the police are increasing, which he said means people trust police enough to call when they see something suspicious.

About five years ago, Smith said, residents got sick of living in what Cassell once called "the most dangerous neighborhood in town." Prostitutes and drug dealers -- "sometimes 20 or 30 at a time at all hours of the day" -- worked the neighborhood.

Don Walford, who works at American National Insurance at 30th Street and Charleston Boulevard, said business owners were suffering because the crime scared away customers.

So business leaders and concerned residents decided to organize. In 2001, Smith and some colleagues formed the 15th and Fremont citizens group with about 30 active members. In 2002, Walford and his fellow business owners started the Downtown Business Operators Council with about 50 members. Both groups aimed to encourage community involvement to reduce crime.

The groups helped start neighborhood watch groups, held citizens meetings and helped neighbors "get to know one another," Smith said. But what Smith called the "turning point" occurred in September 2003, when he led a march down Fremont Street to show the days of intimidation were over. Mayor Oscar Goodman walked with the marchers.

Still, not all neighbors will go so far in vouching for the area's safety.

Kelly Lowe, who lives at Mediterrano Apartments at 15th and Fremont, said she worries about the effects of drug dealing in the neighborhood.

"It's still pretty bad," she said. "I get all my errands done during the day so I don't have to leave my apartment at night."

Some residents still say they don't trust the police, citing recent shooting incidents, among their concerns. Litter still covers the area -- even in the parking lot of the Downtown Beautification Center.

The progress has been slow, but Smith said the improvement is noticeable. He said he smiles whenever he sees lines out the door for nightclubs and bars in the area, knowing that people aren't afraid to visit downtown anymore.

"Now the biggest problem is the parking," Smith said. "All of these visitors are filling up the spaces. It's a good problem to have."

Scott Strutridge, general manager of South Cove Apartment at 1525 E. Fremont St., said residents have come up to him to say the neighborhood seems a lot quieter than it was years ago.

Walford said he used to never let his daughters go the movies at Neonopolis because of the walk from the parking garage to the theater. Now he said he doesn't worry.

Pam Terry, crime prevention specialist for the downtown area, said she's noticed a lot more cooperation with law enforcement.

She said she hopes National Night Out will give the residents a chance to meet cops in their community and begin to build trust in law enforcement.