Isa Blanford says she is frustrated and dismayed by waning involvement in the Lacoocheecommunity group.
By CHASE SQUIRES
Published March 31, 2004
LACOOCHEE - In the weeks that followed the killing of Pasco sheriff's Lt. Charles "Bo" Harrison last summer, there came hope.
About eight months after a group was formed to build a better Lacoochee, there came frustration.
Isa Blanford, a Pasco County Housing Authority employee who led the grass roots Circle of Hope Community Partnership, said Tuesday she is dismayed at poor community involvement and lagging attendance at meetings. She said she would turn the reins over to a dedicated core of active volunteers.
Among those expected to take the lead is Celestine Bush Stephens.
Stephens, 61, said Tuesday she still has hope for a better community, and she vowed to pressure Pasco County leaders to invest in northeast Pasco to lure jobs and development.
"Circle of Hope is going to work. It's not going to fade out," Stephens said. "We have to reconnect; we need more community involvement. We have to get out to the people. We need to get the parents involved."
Blanford said she has been disappointed at the dwindling support in Lacoochee for the effort.
When it was founded at a meeting in July, more than 80 residents and supporters came out to help build the Circle of Hope, Blanford said. At recent meetings, only a handful of supporters came, and many of them are from outside Lacoochee. While she works in Lacoochee, Blanford said she is also an outsider, living in Dade City.
"Without community support, there's no point in us continuing," Blanford said. "I can't want something for somebody if they don't want it themselves."
Blanford said there had been a need for a community center in Lacoochee for years, a place where families could gather and take part in activities in a safe environment. The June 1 sniper attack on Harrison, 57, galvanized support in the Lacoochee community, and Blanford said she felt the time was right for people to make a difference.
She said support has since waned.
She said members and leaders at the Mount Moriah Baptist Church have been big supporters, but nearly 20 other churches in the Lacoochee, Trilby an Trilacoochee communities have been silent, she said.
"The church is the gateway to the community, but if you don't have the support of those churches, what can you do? I'm disappointed, I'm angry."
Blanford said she will remain an active Circle of Hope supporter but will turn leadership over at a meeting early next month. Stephens said she will dedicate herself to the cause.
"This could be a very good area for housing and a very good area for jobs," Stephens said. "It's close to Tampa. It's close to Orlando. Lacoochee is not promoted."
Blanford said she has also been disappointed that Pasco County has not taken action to attack the violence at a Trilacoochee nightclub, Rumors, the site of another shooting Sunday.
Harrison was shot on duty near the club, and the 20-year-old charged had been inside the club before the attack, according to the case assembled by prosecutors. The club also was the scene of a 2001 killing in the parking lot.
On Sunday, a Clermont man was hospitalized after being shot five times in the club's parking lot. No arrests had been made in that case as of Tuesday.
Blanford said the Circle of Hope's next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 13 at the Western Edge, 20942 U.S. 301.
