Neighborhood notices changes

Residents say south Augusta's Meadowbrook neighborhood has a different look these days.

Three months after Operation Augusta Ink led to more than 100 arrests -- many involving gang members in and around Meadowbrook -- some residents say they are more comfortable spending a Sunday afternoon outdoors.

"You just don't hear the gunshots anymore," said Dyana Green, 29, an insurance administrator at a downtown Augusta business. "That's a major plus around here."

Ms. Green said she feels more secure about allowing her four children to play in their front yard on Libby Drive.

Ms. Green's daughter, Alana, 13, is an eighth-grader at Glenn Hills Middle School. She and her friend Khadijah Williams, also 13, say they knew some of those arrested during the November sting.

Both say some of those arrested weren't really that bad.

"They got on the wrong track," Alana said.

Khadijah agreed.

"Hopefully, they'll learn from their mistakes while locked up," she said.

Resident Krystle Williams said the atmosphere around Meadowbrook has improved since the arrests.

"You just don't see them walking up and down (the street) anymore," Mrs. Williams said. The 22-year-old mother grew up on Meadow Grove Drive and fondly recalls the days when people could leave their houses unsecured overnight.

More recently, her husband, Damien Williams, 26, remembers having to "run off" suspicious characters after a series of car thefts. He said he welcomes the change.

Many in the neighborhood say they want to see whether the changes last.

"I think we'll get a better gauge on what's going on once summertime comes around," said Jennifer Campbell, 28, who lives on Meadow Grove Drive with her husband and two young sons.

Kyle Campbell, a 10-year soldier and Iraq war veteran, agrees with his wife, but adds: "You don't see the large groups of teenagers that we once had."

While the neighbors seem positive about the changes, Richmond County authorities say it's difficult to measure the impact Operation Augusta Ink has had on the community.

Sheriff's Maj. Ken Autry said he has no hard figures that show any certain crime has decreased, but based on the crime reports he reviews daily, he believes there has been a drop in gang activity.

"We talk about gang activity, and that covers a wide variety of crimes, from aggravated assaults to pawn shop burglaries and home burglaries," he said. "And I'm not saying there's been a decrease in all of those type crimes, but they would have been carried out by those gangs that were affected by Augusta Ink."

Staff Writer Adam Folk contributed to this report.

Reach Timothy Cox at (706) 823-3217 or tim.cox@augustachronicle.com.