Neighborhood Watch Meeting Gives Hope to Concerned Decoto Residents

Gloria Pacheco thought someone was lighting firecrackers in the street when she heard a series of loud bursts outside of her home on the afternoon of July 28. She realized that wasn’t the case when the sounds were soon followed by shouts and sirens.

She learned later that two groups were engaged in . And that was surprisingly good news, considering the , she said.

“I used to leave my door open. I’ve never seen it this bad,” said Pacheco, who’s lived in her Decoto home for more than 50 years.  She said crime and violence come and go in waves but “lately, it’s just scary.”

Pacheco was one of more than 30 concerned community members who gathered Tuesday night at to discuss a new neighborhood watch program spearheaded by church leaders and supported by Union City Police Department's Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving unit.

The program would be the first widespread push for neighborhood watch groups in the community, said police and community leaders.

The Tuesday night meeting gave residents a venue to air concerns and connect with neighbors for potential watch groups.

“Crime is not just a police problem, it’s a community problem. That’s why we need your help,” said Officer Bruce Vance of the COPPS unit. He and Officer Josh Clubb led a presentation on neighborhood watch during the meeting.

According to Vance, there are about 30 different neighborhood watch groups in Union City. Each group helps create a safer community, which results in a better quality of life, he said. But, for whatever reason, it’s never happened on a large scale in Decoto, he said.

The biggest obstacle remains getting the community involved, he said. The lack of community backing is mostly due to fear of being targeted as “snitches,” residents said.

One woman said she lives on the 33500 block of Seventh Street near a home that was raided by police and SWAT teams . She said she was afraid to call cops when suspicious activity occurred at the home in the past.

“You know what those kids would do? They’ll break the windows on my [car],” she said.

Consequently, the family that rents the home in question was recently last Wednesday, Vance said.

“I know you fear retaliation, but we’re the good guys. Call us,” Vance said. “Remove yourself of the guilt. You’re not doing something wrong, they are.”

“If we get something like this going, I think we would outnumber the guys committing crimes,” Vance said.

The Decoto neighborhood is no stranger to crime and violence.

“This is a high-risk area,” said Father Jose Leon, the pastor at Our Lady of the Rosary since 1985, who is helping lead the push for the neighborhood watch program.

“We have our moments when violence is way out there, then it quiets down,” Leon said. “But now it’s getting closer to the neighborhoods and the neighbors are getting scared.”

The neighborhood has experienced a plague of shootings in recent months, starting with the fatal shooting of on May 14. That was followed by the fatal shooting of just three days later. On June 26, a man was critically wounded in a shooting. A month later, on July 28, was the shootout near Pacheco’s home.

Most recently, a teenager was in the early hours of Aug. 24.

The recent activity has been compared to a similar wave of violence in the neighborhood in 2007.

In December 2007, Vernon Eddins, 14, was shot in front of the now-defunct Barnard White Middle School. The killing is believed to be in retaliation for the murder of Jesus Cruz Jr., who was shot and killed a month earlier while celebrating his 21st birthday at a party on the 33800 block of H Street.

“These are neighborhood happenings,” Leon said. “Could this (neighborhood watch) be a way of stopping some of that?”

The only current neighborhood watch group in Decoto is the one led by Tri-CED CEO and former City Council Richard Valle, serving the block of 13th Street between G and H streets.

Valle said he’s witnessed positive results on his block due to its strengthened relationship with police. He said residents had issues with a home that had a constant stream of visitors in and out and parked cars with people sitting inside at all hours. After increased patrol in the area and police intervention, the neighbors eventually moved.

“Our neighborhood is so much safer,” Valle said.

Tuesday night’s meeting left residents and leaders hopeful.

“This is our city, and we’re not going to take it,” said lifelong Decoto resident Susie Garcia. “The cops being here tonight is saying, ‘Help us help you.’ We have to work together.”

“I really like the enthusiasm,” Vance said after the meeting. “What’s so critical is for us to get in there and build relationships and trust.”

The next step is to hold regular meetings at Our Lady of the Rosary Church and generate more interest. Leon and other community leaders will map out hot spots and identify potential block captains for each street, he said.

“We, the people, have to do something. We can’t rely on the police alone,” Leon said.

For more information on the Decoto neighborhood watch program, contact Susana Peinado at 510-579-9877.