Butler-Tarkington neighborhood marks one year with zero homicides
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Parents of murder victims are calling for justice after their loved ones were killed.
They’re asking focus be put on finding who killed their children.
The call also tamping down celebrations in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood marking one year without a murder.
Last summer and early fall were deadly here, four murders, and four families left in pieces.
“I never thought it would be my own,” said Earnestine Havvard. His son, Clarence “Wade” Havvard, was killed last August.
Havvard’s murder was the beginning of a crime spree that took the neighborhood two months to break free from.
“We, my wife and I, were wondering if we should move out of the neighborhood it got so bad, and then we lost our son and things seemed like it got worse,” said Clarence Havvard, Sr.
Three others were killed before it stopped. Including 20-year-old Marshawn Frazier, 19-year-old Malik Perry, and 10-year-old De’Shawn Swanson.
“It hurts, you’ve lost neighbors, you’ve lost friends,” said Ted Feeney, a resident of the neighborhood and former Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association president.
The murders didn’t stop by accident. They prayed together, cried together, and then walked the streets together.
Residents partnered with the Ten Point Coalition to bring calm back to the streets.
“It takes the village to create healthy safe and peaceful neighborhoods,” said Rev. Charles Harrison, the founder of the Ten Point Coalition
Ten Point is often known for being reactive in nature by going to scenes after the crime. But here they were proactive, walking the streets every night, with the residents.
“People in these areas had a reason to be fearful, had a spike in crime, but instead of just being fearful, they empowered themselves to say we’ve had enough,” said IMPD Chief Troy Riggs.
And now they’re asking for help once again. None of the four murders that sparked this reaction have been solved.
“The killers of Wade Havvard, Marshawn Frazier, Malik Perry and little De’Shaun Swanson are still at large and must be brought to justice,” said Clark Kirkman, the current president of the Butler Tarkington Neighborhood Association.