Neighbors Concerned As Crime Grows At Historic Tulsa Shopping Strip

Some people say they’re afraid to go to a once-historic Tulsa shopping strip.

In the last few months, police have responded to several shootings and even made a major drug bust at the Alameda Center near 21st and Sheridan.

2/25/2017 Related Story: Police: One Person Shot During Fight Outside Tulsa Nightclub

When the sun goes down and the businesses shut down for the evening, people say the parking lot becomes a beacon for crime.

Katiera: "What goes through your mind when you hear people say they are afraid to come over here at night?”
Nancy Carlson: “That just hurts me because we have worked so hard to make this a safe area."

Carlson said the main goals of the Hoover Neighborhood Association are safety, community spirit and maintaining property value.

She said the goals are challenged thanks to continued crime that typically happens just outside the Rio restaurant.

"And so it does not seem fair. Why should one bad apple ruin this whole area? It just doesn't make sense to me," Carlson said.

The neighborhood association meets monthly to discuss problems and solutions. The top problem on the list is making the center safer.

Carlson said, "If we have to have some petitions, which is what the Facebook page people are talking about - petitioning the city - we'll have to take these steps. Hopefully, we won't need to."

Carlson said for anyone who's lived in Tulsa for a long time, they have fond memories, and she wants to bring that back.

"We could recapture that if we could just get some city involvement and maybe some local owners," she said.

During the times where crimes happen most, Tulsa police say the officers on duty are typically running from one call to the next.

So, Carlson urges her community to do their part.

"Need to take ownership of your neck of the woods," she said.

We reached out to shopping center owners for comment, to see if they have any plans for improving security, but as told the person we needed to speak with was out of the office and won't be available to comment until Tuesday.