Patrolman Brian Summers, an officer with the department's community policing unit, said residents are the first line of defense against violence in their neighborhoods.
HOLYOKE -- Four days after the city recorded its first homicide in over 20 months, residents gathered at the corner of Dwight and Linden streets Saturday afternoon to make a stand against violence.
Billed on Facebook as "These are OUR streets, this is OUR neighborhood!", the demonstration drew about two dozen city residents who held signs bearing slogans such as "Standing united to protect our neighborhood" and "Stop the violence now".
Stephanie Jusino came from South Holyoke to participate in the rally.
"I want people to know that what's happening here -- it shouldn't happen," Jusino said, adding that she's witnessed drug dealing and shootings near her own home. "So, I want to make a change."
Her mother, Yesenia, holding a sign that read, "I love Holyoke," said violence is a problem no city resident can ignore, no matter where they live.
"Even though we are not living in this area -- we live in Holyoke," Jusino said. "It's everybody's problem, because there's only one Holyoke."
Hampden Street resident Danny Rodriguez, 35, was gunned down Tuesday afternoon near the corner of Beech and Dwight streets, about two blocks from the site of the demonstration. No arrests have been made in the killing.
The daylight shooting, which police said may have been committed by suspects using a scooter as a getaway vehicle, happened along a stretch of sidewalk only blocks from the city's busy YMCA branch, on a stretch of Route 202 commonly used used by commuters as a connector between Interstate 91 and the towns of South Hadley, Granby and beyond. In the nearby Avery Field park Tuesday afternoon, teenagers played basketball as city and state police investigators placed evidence markers in the street and photographed the bloody scene.
At least one of the rounds fired at Rodriguez struck the multi-family home at 815 Dwight Street, leaving a small scar in the building's yellow siding.
Linden Street resident Jossie Valentin said she organized the event in part because she's seen steady progress against crime in her neighborhood.
"I was just really disappointed and heartbroken when I found out about the murder," Valentin said. "I felt like it was important to send a strong message that was community driven in terms of saying, 'We're not afraid to be on the street. We're united'."
Later in the interview, she said: "When the murder happened just a block away, I wanted to send the message that we won't have tolerance for that."
Valentin attributed some of the progress in the neighborhood to the regular presence of the city's Mobile Community Policing vehicle, and to a general increase in police presence.
"We appreciate the leadership of our chief of police," Valentin said. Law enforcement actions over the past several months, she believes, seem to have helped diminish criminal activity.
The push back against the drug trade and violence, Valentin said, requires a partnership between residents and the police department.
"I think being vocal is definitely important," Valentin said. "And a lot of people have a fear about retaliation when it comes to that. So I think it's important that we collaborate with the police, and be present, and be vocal -- that can make some positive changes."
Patrolman Brian Summers, an officer with the department's community policing unit, said residents are the first line of defense against violence in their neighborhoods.
"The easiest thing to do is make a phone call. All you gotta do is pick up the phone, give us a call. You see suspicious activity, suspicious people coming in the building, being in and out in two minutes -- [residents] are the first step," Summers said.
He continued: "Without the community, we can only do so much. We can't see every block, all the time. People that live on these blocks, they know the ins and the outs, and they know who belongs there and who doesn't belong there. As much as they can help, and help us out -- it's greatly appreciated."
Stephanie Jusino, who lives on the South Summer Street block where the department operates one of its three community policing substations, said she believes chief James M. Neiswanger's emphasis on community policing has made a difference in her neighborhood.
"It has, big time," Jusino said, noting that she doesn't see as many people hanging around on the street corners as she used to. "You feel more safe."
Holyoke police and the Hampden County District Attorney's Office continue to investigate the murder of Danny Rodriguez. The police department has asked anyone with information about the killing to call the department at (413) 322-6900 or use the anonymous text-a-tip number: (413) 533-TIPS (533-8477).