Baseball bat assaults spur community gathering
Date: 2008-11-01 17:09:35
Source: http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/26854664.h...
Submitted By: Come Get You Some
About 200 residents of St. Paul's Phalen neighborhood met Monday with law enforcement and community leaders to discuss safety concerns. Incidents of hate graffiti and two apparently unrelated baseball bat beatings recently around Lake Phalen prompted the meeting. Mayor Chris Coleman described stronger efforts to deal with violence, stressing that the community must work together. He said his 2009 budget will include funding for 14 more police officers, bringing the total to 630. Police are investigating an attack on a woman as she walked around Lake Phalen, police Chief John Harrington said. Three teens have been charged in a baseball bat beating that occurred during a subsequent vigil for the first victim. Harrington said police presence has been increased, and neighbors plan to begin patrols around the lake Aug. 21. Lora Pabst About 200 residents of the Payne Phalen neighborhood in St. Paul gathered Monday with law enforcement and community leaders to discuss safety concerns. Incidents of hate graffiti and two apparently unrelated baseball bat beatings recently around Lake Phalen outraged residents and prompted the meeting. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman told the crowd about stepped-up efforts to deal with violence, emphasizing the community must come together to deal with crime. He said his budget for 2009 will include funding for 14 more police officers, bringing the total to 630. Police are still investigating an attack on a woman with cancer as she walked around Lake Phalen, police Chief John Harrington said. Three teens have been charged in a baseball bat beating that occurred during a subsequent vigil for the initial victim. Harrington said police presence has been increased, and neighbors plan to begin community patrols around the lake Aug. 21. "There's a lot of education we need to do with each other to take a holistic approach to problems in families," said Bao Vang, executive director of the Hmong American Partnership. "We all have a stake in this." Lora said.
