Local

Parents pushing for change in Mixon Town

Local moms are banding together, pushing for a change in their Mixon Town neighborhood.

They said crime scenes like the one Tuesday night, when vehicles were struck by bullets, are becoming too common.

“I heard about six or seven shots and they were really loud,” parent Eddie Morgan said.

Morgan said he was sitting inside with his two kids when they heard gunshots just feet from their front door.

“That’s my kids and one of those bullets could have hit them,” Morgan said.

Action News Jax crime mapped the area and found that since the beginning of the year, there have been 17 assaults, 14 thefts and seven burglaries near where the shooting happened.

It’s crime like this that has parents worried about their children.

“Without a positive outlook on the teens and the youth in this area, that’s the only thing that they see,” a mother said.

A mother, who didn’t want to be identified, said she thinks there would be less crime if there were more things for kids to do.

Action News Jax found that the closest park is about a 30-minute walk to Lackawanna.

“Every kid needs a place where they feel like they’re safe,” a mother said.

Councilman Garrett Dennis said there isn’t anywhere to build a park in the neighborhood.

“Maybe the conversation should be focused around how could we get their kids to that location,” Dennis said.

But the authorities are working to revitalize the area.

“It takes time and takes a community effort,” Dennis said.

Dennis said he plans on meeting with parents again in two weeks to go over plans for the area and he wants to make the neighborhood safer for children.