Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce

As grant funding for the Weed & Seed program clouded over, AT&T stepped in with some sunny news for community leaders and volunteers who are working to revitalize part of Decatur's inner city. AT&T representative Vince Apruzzese presented the Weed & Seed program with a $1,000 check on behalf of AT&T at the organization's June meeting. This generous donation helps offset the program's dramatic loss of grant funding this year.
 
Weed & Seed's mission is to “weed” out drugs, gang activity, prostitution, and violent crime and "seed" a targeted area with community centers, a truancy court program, job placements for parolees, and other support services necessary to restore the neighborhood to a family-friendly environment. The targeted neighborhood is bordered by McKinley Avenue to the north, Eldorado Street to the south, Oakland Avenue to the west, and the railroad tracks near Jasper Street that intersect Hope Academy to the east. This area was selected because it had the city's highest crime rate. 
 
Weed & Seed is a joint effort between the City of Decatur Police Department, Decatur Public Schools, the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce, the US Attorney’s office, the Macon County State’s Attorney’s office, the City of Decatur Neighborhood Redevelopment Office, the Decatur Housing Authority, residents in the Weed & Seed area, and others. Decatur was awarded a Department of Justice grant to administer the program. The $1 million grant was to be spread over five years, but federal funding to the program has been reduced.
 
Weed & Seed funding has been cut $333,000 to date, with two years left in the program. Funding this year has been reduced from $275,000 to $142,000. The grant money pays for a program coordinator, annual program evaluations, and law enforcement. It also funds the annual grant reapplication process. Reduced funding will necessitate significant cuts to the Weed & Seed initiative.
 
Arrests are up in the Weed & Seed area due to the intensified focus on criminal activity. The program has increased bike patrols and placed two remote cameras in the area with direct feed to the police department, which is helping to monitor crime more effectively. Neighborhood residents are excited about the progress Weed & Seed has made in their area. Thanks to responsible corporate donors like AT&T, improvements can  continue to be made.