Charlotte's Thomasboro Neighborhood Grant Money Gone with the Wind?

If you have lived in Charlotte long you'll recognize Charlotte's notorious crime neighborhoods, names like Boulevard Homes, Rozelle's Ferry, West Boulevard, Grier Heights, and Cherry but Thomasboro as a neighborhood name that often equates to crime isn't as likely.

But recently Thomasboro has the added burden of being plagued with foreclosures, and suddenly, gangs, youth violence and drugs also have begun to threaten the neighborhood.

So when Thomasboro neighborhood activists and leaders learned of a federal program to help threatened neighborhoods like Thomasboro they got to work.

Hopes ran high when leaders learned that Federal funds would soon be on the way via the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Leaders envisioned, perhaps a police athletic association, or D.A.R.E program that would soon be coming their way, stepped up patrols, community meetings and watch groups were also on the local community wish list, there was even talk of funding a citizen patrol and maybe equipping them with radios purchased with money from the Federal grant.

But the money never came, or at least that seems to be the case. Now the local scuttle butt is that the CMPD under the direction of Chief Rodney Monroe spent the grant money elsewhere, suggesting that the redirection went to areas of higher crime.

There is no clue, or offical word as to if any of this is true but, but if it is then it seems to be a repeat of the Macon grant confusion down in Georgia a few years back.

More Cedar Posts on Rodney Monroe here: Charlotte's Police Chief Exposed!