WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Diamisha Hubbard lives in the Pleasant City neighborhood. Two years in and she's had enough.
"The neighborhood is not a good neighborhood," she said.
Hubbard's concern is crime saying it doesn't feel safe for kids to play outside.
"Somebody's going to break into somebody's house. Somebody is going to drive by and shoot somebody. Somebody gets into a fight and cause whatever," she said. "So, no matter where you go, it's not safe."
The final weeks of 2021 have come with a series of shootings in West Palm Beach.
On Dec. 8 in the north Tamarind corridor, a 17-year-old was found dead and a 16-year-old was wounded.
Days later, a 16-year-old girl was killed by gunfire in Pleasant City. She was an innocent bystander.
All told, the 23 homicides in the city this year are eight more than all of 2020.
As West Palm Police Chief Frank Adderley walked the streets of Pleasant City, he spoke about community-police relations and the need to get criminals off the streets and clearing unsolved cases.
"We have groups of people that are standing around and watching young people get murdered in the street and we get no cooperation to help us solve the cases," he said.
The chief said progress is being made. Over a three-year span, robberies in the city are down 23% and homicides are also down falling 8% in that same time frame, despite this year's spike.
So, what's the long-term solution?
"I think coming together and building a strong community is the answer," Adderley said. "We have to work better, do a much better job of building the confidence in the people that live here in this neighborhood."
Hubbard also offered her solution to building a safer community.
"Stop with the violence. Stop with the shooting. Stop with the killings," she said. "Just put the guns down."
Adderley said he has 23 vacant positions in his department. He said filling those positions will help with patrols of troublesome spots.
