Civic Journalism: Six Case Studies
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
"Taking Back our Neighborhoods"

Nobles and Burnette were police officers who chased a suspect into the woods of West Charlotte the evening of October 5, 1993. Minutes later, fellow officers arriving to back them up discovered the two men; both had been shot in the head. Less than an hour later, they were pronounced dead.

The protectors had become victims. They were the first Charlotte police officers killed in the line of duty since 1991, the first two to die together.

The shock rippled out, wrapping a city in mourning as residents struggled to understand and to cope. High school students raised money to buy bullet-proof vests for police. Recreational facilities in the inner-city community the officers served were dedicated to their memory. Politicians made promises.

The staff of the Charlotte Observer quickly reacted to the breaking news, covering events as they unfolded on deadline and in the weeks that followed. But this story was different. This story demanded more than the usual.

"There was no discernible way to harness what was happening," recalled Cheryl Carpenter, assistant managing editor for local news. All over the newsroom, editors, and reporters were looking for ways to respond to the outpouring of grief and fear.

Rick Thames was city editor. "It was clear to us and to readers that the city had a real problem. It was important to figure out some way to deal with it that would be constructive."

In the months ahead, the Observer embarked on a comprehensive long-term project designed to be as constructive as possible. The paper and its partner WSOC-TV would commit talented personnel, tons of newsprint and hours of valuable air time to a series of reports that would go far beyond traditional crime coverage and into the heart of the neighborhoods most affected by the violence.

Its most unusual elements would include forums for those who usually go unheard - residents of some of the city's most crime-ridden neighborhoods, and concrete lists of ways that residents and those outside the neighborhoods could help. These "needs lists" were assembled by a community coordinator working out of the Observer   newsroom, while the United Way of Central Carolinas staffed phone banks and matched volunteers with needs.

By the spring of 1995 - some 18 months after the deaths of officers Nobles and Burnette - the Observer, using the logo "Taking Back our Neighborhoods," and WSOC-TV, titling its reports "Carolina Crime Solutions," had:

• Held a half-dozen town meetings in inner-city neighborhoods, where hundreds of residents accepted invitations to air their concerns.

• Inspired more than 700 groups or individuals to volunteer to meet various neighborhood needs.

• Triggered the city to raze dilapidated buildings, open long-promised parks and recreation facilities, and clear overgrown lots that were havens for illegal activity.

• Prompted 18 local law firms to file public nuisance suits, pro bono, to close neighborhood crack houses.

• Captured the attention of their peers. The Observer's effort was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the public service competition. WSOC-TV's broadcasts won a prestigious Headliner Award.

The Beginning

Back in the fall of 1993, Observer editor Jennie Buckner was sharing the concerns of the staff she had inherited the previous August. Most recently Knight-Ridder's vice president for news, Buckner was a veteran of life in urban centers like Miami and Detroit. She expected Charlotte to be less affected by the violence she had witnessed in those cities. Instead, she was surprised by what she saw.

"I found a contrast between the spanking new downtown and so many beautiful neighborhoods and so many things that worked so well in the community. Yet there were these problems that seemed somewhat not talked about a lot," she said.

She had already been thinking about the need for the Observer to address crime as an issue, a need made more urgent by the deaths of Burnette and Nobles.

"The whole issue of violent crime began to rear up. We began to talk about how to do a piece about crime in Charlotte and various neighborhoods," Buckner said. "How could we report about that in a way that wouldn't just feed fear and make the only public reaction . . . 'Oh, now we know where never to go?'"