JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Cindi Vanvleck has lived behind Valencia Way Apartments for almost 20 years. She says she's heard screams and cries from the shootings that have taken place at the complex from her own yard.
“I try not to go out in the yard. I don’t let my dogs out then, so I try not to go out in the yard like at 1 a.m.,” Cindi added.
City leaders are also noticing the crime and are moving JSO officers to the neighborhood to patrol 24/7.
“I think about persons who are afraid to come out of their homes, or when they come out of their home, they make a mad dash for their cars, because they’re someone’s gonna come by and shoot at them,” said Geneva Pittman, an ICARE JAX Board Member who advocates for gun violence issues throughout Jacksonville.
The increased police presence gives neighbors like Vanvleck with a little bit more peace of mind.
She was there last October when two people were killed within a week apart. And she feels uneasy knowing a body was found on the property last week. “All I could think about is what are these children who are in bed being woken up to over there? Are they being taught this is normal?”
After two homicides, several shootings and reported burglaries in 2023, property owners will spend the next year working with JSO and the city on improving their safety measures.