High Crime to High End

North Overton’s crime and abandonment was the basis behind Delbert McDougal’s decision to redevelop the area just outside of the Texas Tech University campus in 1999. Today, shopping centers and apartment complexes conceal the area’s dangerous history, but one thing is seemingly missing: the crime.

A statue of Delbert McDougal and his wife overlooks North Overton.

In 2005, halfway through the regentrification project, North Overton’s Wal-Mart was in the making. That year, the Lubbock Police Department reported a total of 16 aggravated assaults and 55 auto burglaries. In 2013, there was a total of 29 aggravated assaults and 95 auto burglaries. Sgt. Lewis with the Lubbock Police Department compiled the city’s crime statistics into a numerical breakdown from the years 2005-13 and explained the numbers and how they were affected by McDougal’s project.

“I’d be curious to know if it’s gone up since all of that,” Lewis said, “and the reason I’m wondering is because that population in Overton would be a lot higher than what it was back then, just because of all the Tech students that live in those apartments. When you think about people per mile, I would think you’re going to see a pretty big increase over the last couple of years.”

Lewis said an increase in vehicle burglaries is not surprising because students tend to leave high-dollar items such as electronics, sitting in their vehicles.

Cars line up at the intersection of University Avenue and Glenna Goodacre Blvd. Someone honked their horn, and a student with sunglasses rode his bike past the Starbucks, down the row of businesses and apartments which are about a decade old – some of them newer.

After McDougal’s redevelopment project, businesses and students take up North Overton.

Electronic media & communication major Phillip Anderson sat at a table inside the coffee shop, as he talked about his hometown Dallas and the convenience of his neighborhood of three years.

He said although he enjoys the accessibility and luxury North Overton has to offer, he has heard students speak of criminal activity in the area. In one instance, he recounted a story of a friend being held at gun point. Anderson said the incident came to an end when his friend gave up his belongings and the gunman fled the scene.

“I have never experienced it myself,” he said, “but I’ve heard that crime is really bad at Pointe and the apartments next to Pointe.”

Anderson sat and stared at his drink as he talked about the crime ranging from robberies to auto theft. As he talked about the crime in the area, he had a piece of advice for anyone planning on moving to a different neighborhood.

“I think the location is really important,” he said,  “but you also have to look at the history of the location – what part of the city you’re in, what parts of the city that are dangerous and you should stay away from, and what your proximity to those areas are.”

For North Overton, Anderson said, safety starts to deteriorate toward Marsha Sharp Freeway.

Sgt. Lewis sat at a table inside the police department’s media room. Holding the crime statistics, he said although the redevelopment project was great for North Overton, he believes the most recent high-crime area is around 65th drive — which is located a few blocks down from Lowrey Field.

Lubbock Police release information on the Eagle Pointe shooting.

On October 5, police responded to a shots-fired call at the Eagle Pointe Town Homes located at 6127 Avenue R. A victim, 32-year-old Ernest Turman, was pronounced dead at the scene when the police arrived. The Hub@TTU reporters had been working in that area up until the day before the incident, which took place in broad daylight. The police report indicates the suspect fled the scene.

Police report obtained by City of Lubbock police website.

Margaret Barnhart, 24-year-old mother of eight, has lived off of 65th drive for about three years. She sat on the porch as she watched her children play. She said she watches them closely because the violence has her living in fear.

“Every hour or every few hours, you come outside and see a cop pass by,” Barnhart said as her children played around her.

When asked about the worst incident she has ever witnessed, Barnhart talked about the shootings without hesitation. She said there have been two to three shootings since she has lived in her secluded, corner apartment.

“People around here,  when the police get called – when the police leave,” she said, “they just go back to doin’ what they’re doin’ before the police even got here.”

While the apartment does offer security, Barnhart expressed her frustration as she said they act more as spectators when it comes to criminal activity. She said she would like to see tougher restrictions for residents since they are government apartments.

Crime statistics obtained from LPD show 68 aggravated assaults for 2005 and 2013, for the area around 65th St. While the records show no murders for 2013, that number has changed this year. Sgt. Lewis reviewed the statistics as he spoke of increased patrols in this area, especially during events at Lowrey Field.

Currently the most dangerous neighborhood in Lubbock.

Lewis said while the types crime has changed in North Overton, he believes the dangerous past has made its way to the Bayless/Atkins area. As Tech continues to grow, he said, North Overton will as well in order to meet the demands of the students.

“I think it’s just gonna continue to improve and just because there are lower economic housing, that doesn’t mean there is going to be high crime there,” Lewis said. “A lot of those are just families who have lived there a long time and just don’t make a lot of money because we don’t really see the problems that we used to.”