Almost 9 months without a drug murder

Hey, did you realize it’s been 266 days without a non-domestic violence murder in Niagara Falls? I had the count wrong Sunday and thought it was significant enough to revisit.

Oct. 2, 2023 was the last drug-related homicide. Robert Miller, 42, was found dead on Pine Avenue. Matthew Glass, 24, of Atlanta, Ga. awaits trial on a charge of 2nd degree murder in the case.

Here’s to SNUG. The anti-crime initiative, staffed with people connected and respected is making a huge difference.

So is the School of Entrepreneur Thought, home to We All We Got, a safe space at 1119 19th St.

Also, appreciate the role of Niagara Falls Police GIVE patrols. The acronym stands for Gun Involved Violence Elimination.

It is a multi-agency task force but most often, it is Falls cops who make the difference.

It seems at least weekly, they patrol on 18th Street or Linwood Avenue and see suspicious characters. Typically, it’s 3 black males and one has a bulge in his hoodie or is carrying a bag with an object that looks suspiciously heavy.

Police stop to chat. One person takes off running. A chase ensues. The suspect throws his bag. Officers catch the suspect and inevitably he is 1) wanted on warrants and 2) charged with criminal possession of a firearm.

Nothing changes the death of Little Italy, or the fact only four vendors were at the City Market Friday but it is a step in the right direction.

The trouble along Pine Avenue is like the trouble on Third Street or Niagara.

A developer like Cataract City, Montante or Savarino fixes up a building announcing it will be mixed use, with retail on the first floor and residential upstairs. Then the apartments get rented and the retail rarely rents.

On Pine Avenue, the story is the same but it is not Buffalo developers and millions. Instead, it is families moving from Dallas, Philly or New York. They most often came to America 20 or 30 years ago from Bangladesh or Pakistan.

They moved here because after saving money to buy a home where they lived, and take on a big mortgage, they realized moving here made more sense. They could pay cash for a building, live upstairs, rent an apartment to tenants and be happy. Its hundreds of thousands, not millions.

Unfortunately, the downstairs remains vacant retail space but it is not really any different from what the Buffalo developers have done in the entertainment district, just smaller scale.

On the other hand, Honeycomb Hive is shut down again on Pine Avenue with “Seized” stickers on the front door. The cat-and-mouse game over illegal marijuana sales continues. By my count, there remain at least 8 places to buy illegal pot on Pine Avenue.

Still, there is something to be said for a reduced body count.