Woman concerned with crime on eastside of Savannah, encouraging community to attend meeting
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - People living in a neighborhood on the eastside of Savannah say crime has gone up and they are worried about their safety.
It looks like school supplies have taken over Gina Barragato’s table. But they’re supplies she’s using to get her message out.
Barragoto said she’s witnessed gun violence near her home, several times. She doesn’t believe that it’s her neighbors, but people coming from other places.
“They congregate all day. They shoot the lights out up there so it’s dark. They’ll be here all day, all night sometimes,” Barragato said.
Barragato has been working on the signs in preparation for a neighborhood meeting about what they feel is an uptick in crime. Her breaking point, she said, was when she caught gunfire on camera.
“When I saw it on the camera and he was just running and shooting his guns off in the air, you know, we have dozens of kids just on this block. Just on the 1100 block. And they could be out at any given time. And it’s only a matter of time before a stray bullet hits a child,” Barragato said.
Or. Barragato says, anyone else.
According to Savannah Police Department data, there have been at least three reported shootings in the area since May.The situation to the point where Barragato said she doesn’t even go outside to walk her dogs sometimes and she said her neighbors, are also living in feat.
“A girl a couple blocks away was afraid. She said, ‘I’ve only been here a short time, and I’m ready to go home.’ Because she has the same problem by her house,” Barragato said.
She’s encouraging her neighbors to attend a safety meeting Wednesday night, where she hopes to find solutions to the issue.
“I’d love to start a neighborhood watch. Something. Anything is better than nothing,” Barragato said.
The neighborhood meeting will be at the W.W. Law Center at 6 p.m. Wednesday and there is leadership from the City of Savannah expected to be there.
Copyright 2023 WTOC. All rights reserved.
