ANDERSON, Ind. — Walking around Anderson Friday night, reflective vests brightened up the dark roads. They were worn by community volunteers to show those in town they're here to make Anderson a safer space.
"We are doing a public safety walk, we are attempting to drum up public support to show the community that there are a group of us that want to stick together and combat the violent crime that's been going on in Anderson," said Jason Fullington, organizer of the Madison County Hand Up Initiative.
These safety walks, Fullington said, are the start of something he's been wanting to do for years after watching crime levels creep up around Anderson.
"It's been growing quite a bit over the last few years, and I've lived here all my life," he said. "I don't want to be ran out of town because of the violence and crime growing, I want to get the community to pull together."
Now, they're taking action after a number of recent shootings, including one in October that hurt a local teen.
Another shooting just this past Wednesday sent Aundre Nell Qua Maine Diamond of Indianapolis to a hospital in serious condition after being gunned down in a gas station off Nichol Avenue. A suspect was arrested Thursday in that shooting.
Fullington said that's shaken an already tense community.
"As we were at the gas station the night of the shooting, we were talking to some of the patrons, there wasn't a lot of business, it scared the neighborhood and everybody was staying quiet, staying at home. But the ones that did venture out, they were in and out, they were happy to see that there were people standing up for them but they wanted to get quickly back in their homes. Many of them were talking about they've lived here most of their lives or a lot of their lives and they're just scared to go outside, scared to go to the gas station just to get a drink anymore," Fullington said.
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Talking to folks in the community at that gas station again Friday night, and around to other community members and neighboring businesses, Fullington said they want these walks to become a regular sight in town, helping ease the minds of many on edge around town. Hopeful that with these small steps, together they can cut down on their town's rise in crime for good.
"There are more good people than people who want to commit the crimes," Fullington said. "And if we all stick together, I think we can put a huge dent in it."
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