After gunshots from across the street injured a man and shattered the serenity of a church's Christmas Eve mass in Little Italy, one resident says he feels compelled to take action to try and make the neighborhood safer.
Little Italy resident Kevin Arnold didn't attend mass at Our Lady of the Rosary on State Street, but he said news of the shooting is just the latest example of escalating crime in the neighborhood.
"Homeowners talking about break-ins, people going into their buildings, tearing up their cars, tearing up their property, that's got me upset,” Arnold said.
So upset, that Arnold said he plans to work with local leaders and law enforcement to see about getting a professional security team to walk the streets of Little Italy.
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"They will have a relationship with the San Diego Police Department,” Arnold explained. “These people will not have weapons. They will have radios, they will have flashlights. And basically, when they see something, they will relay that to the San Diego Police Department."
Residents have mixed emotions.
Some said they feel safe and foot patrols aren’t needed, though they have a growing unease with some of the people on the streets dealing with mental health issues.
Resident Taryn Imes applauds the plan for added security.
“I think that is a good idea. I just — Me personally, because of the number of times I've been chased in less than two years here or felt unsafe, I don't leave my house without mace," said Imes.
To put things in perspective, we checked the most recent crime stats in the area on the Automated Regional Justice Information System or ARJIS.
Data shows from January through October of 2022 compared to the same time this year, total violent crime is down nearly 22%. But total property crimes, like home and car thefts, are up 35%, according to ARJIS.
“We live out here. We see it every day,” said Arnold.
It’s one of the reasons why he’s hoping to team with residents, homeowners associations and businesses to help fund a plan to get boots on the ground to reduce crime in the area.
“It's unfortunate what happened [on Christmas Eve]. It's a shame when churches cannot have services without somebody turning into the Wild West."
