NLV neighborhood gets a makeover

Joe Griffin bristled a little on Wednesday morning when asked about the crime and gang activity for which his modest North Las Vegas neighborhood has long been known.

"It's getting violent everywhere," the 62-year-old school bus driver said as he hand-watered the lawn in front of his home on Helen Avenue, near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Carey Avenue. "They've got crime in Green Valley and Summerlin. Not just here."

But Griffin, who for 43 years has lived in the neighborhood sometimes called "40-Block" after 40-ounce malt liquor bottles, admitted his home "has been broken into so many times, I had to put bars on the windows."

Things have gotten better lately, he said, with fewer break-ins and less vandalism.

Others also have noticed a change for the better in the old neighborhood, roughly bound by Cartier Avenue to the north, Martin Luther King and Comstock Drive to the east, Lake Mead Boulevard to the south and Simmons Street to the west. They credit a joint effort by police, city officials and neighborhood residents for the turnaround.

Now, residents are looking to give their neighborhood a more respectable name: "North Valley Community." A "naming ceremony," including entertainment and food, will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Clark County Community Resource Center at Martin Luther King and Carey.

Forty-Block "was just such a negative name," said Letha Whalum, 68, who moved to the neighborhood around the same time Griffin did and serves on a committee of neighbors organized to address community problems.

"The community's growing. They're sweeping the streets more and cleaning the graffiti. We wanted to change" the name.

City officials have been working to revitalize the neighborhood of older single-family homes and have allocated federal and local money for the purpose. The funds include $750,000 in federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program dollars to buy and rehabilitate homes, which Neighborhood Housing Services of Southern Nevada is doing in conjunction with the city.

The city also has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build new homes in the community and is working to get banks to offer low-interest home loans to buyers.

"Home ownership is essential to building strong communities," said Kathy Somers, neighborhood outreach manager for North Las Vegas. "We have a lot of rentals, investment properties in the area, and we want to improve that."

Somers said the city is committed to long-term rehabilitation of the neighborhood, which "has declined over many years."

"It was once a really healthy community," she said. "It is improving, but this is a long-range process. One of the biggest areas we're focusing on is crime prevention."

North Las Vegas police opened a "problem-solving unit" substation within an apartment complex in the area several years ago to help cut down on gang-related and other crimes. The substation has since closed, police said.

Griffin acknowledged past gang problems in the community, which is home to about 3,300 residents.

"A lot of people (in the neighborhood) I've known 40 years," he said. "Some of the kids, they didn't grow up the way we did, to work. There's been some problems."

Officers got to know neighbors and worked to involve them in the efforts, encouraging them to promptly report problems.

North Las Vegas Police Chief Joseph Forti applauded residents such as Whalum for getting involved in their community.

"Crime prevention begins at the grass-roots, neighborhood level," he said.

Whalum and others said the recent closure of the Buena Vista Springs apartments near Carey and Martin Luther King also helped the neighborhood. The complex, at one time known for being virtually controlled by gang members, closed last year after public housing officials deemed it unsafe and yanked subsidies for low-income tenants.

But Griffin insisted the neighborhood has always been a great place to live.

"Me and some of my neighbors have lived here most of our lives," he said. "We've raised children and grandchildren here. When I read about violence, of course I'm concerned. But I pray to Jehovah every day to help."

Just then, a North Las Vegas police officer drove by. Griffin returned the officer's wave.

"They are friendly," he said.

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.