Late Tuesday afternoon, a man was gunned down on Erb Street on the East Side, little more than an hour before a panel discussion looked at crime on the East Side.
The victim man wasn't identified during the meeting sponsored by U.S. Attorney William Hochul. It's the first of the "Take Back Our Streets" meetings seeking public help in solving crimes.
Law enforcement officials say they need more cooperation from witnesses to crime, even if just a phone call. They say it's a real problem when someone who might help solve a crime won't come forward but might complain to police when the victim is close to them but they wouldn't help in another crime.
Rev. Darren Young from Saint John Baptist Church admits it's a problem but police have to help.
"There was a woman recently, right here in Langfield who had reported on some young men. They beat the woman senseless, to a pulp and police response wasn't great at all, to assist this woman and to get her the help that she necessarily needed," Young said.
Young says police sometimes show up at the potential witness' home for information, making it clear who talked. Almost all speakers say crime has a bad effect on their homes, their children and their communities.
Hochul says law enforcement has crushed a series of powerful local street gangs and put most members in jail.
