>> Coming up on "Need to Know," after they're gone.
We examine the impact of murder with "Democrat and Chronicle's" border journalist will Yurman as well as the family of a homicide victim.
>> Rochesters newsmagazine since 1997, this is "Need to Know."
>> Welcome to this special edition of "Need to Know."
I am WXXI news director Julie Philipp.
We have heard the statistics of shootings and stabbings and other murders in Rochester.
We know that each crime as a victim.
But this program is not about numbers and it is not about those whose lives were stolen.
It is about living and how murder affects the Rochester community.
We begin with a report from "Need to Know's" Brenda Tremblay, on a local water turtles to spend a year covering this topic.
>> Will Yurman and usually does not know what to expect from day to day.
He might be sent to a school function, a sporting event, or a press conference.
One day a couple of years ago he was sent on an assignment that kind of got to him.
He was assigned to take pictures at a vigil for a murdered man named Ian Crawford.
>> When I got to the vigil, I started talking to his sister and mention during that how levirate -- how little coverage there had been about her mother.
She said that no one cares about a black man.
She was not offensive were accusing me, it's used to sing it like the sky is blue and the crest -- -- she was just saying it like the sky is blue and the grass is green.
I thought we should care more than 100 words in the paper.
>> He decided to document the murder victims for one whole year.
Every time a man or one was killed, he called the victim's family, packed their gear, and went to the neighborhood, a house, or cemetery.
He started the project in January 2007, when the law Mark Brown was killed.
-- lamar Brown was killed.
>> I went with a writer from the paper.
We knocked on the door and it was the afternoon and they were really nice, said it was a bad time and could we come back in a few hours?
We did and I got there ahead of the writer.
I was there by myself in the dining room with a mom and stepmom -- step father, and and and family.
>> He discovered that people hungered to talk about the loved ones.
When one person was killed on Jefferson Avenue, he says that the victim's mother's grief poured out for.
>> It was hard to hold the microphone, it is that moving to me.
>> I was home and I heard a knock at the door and my husband was already going to answer it.
We heard that Norman just got shot, that he is not breathing.
He said, robbery up.
I don't even know -- he said, and would hurry up."
I just knew that my husband was not driving fast enough for me.
>> But not every family wanted to talk.
When a baby was beaten and burned in a motel in town today glaucoma, he says he cannot find anyone to -- when at E A baby was not a -- when the baby was found beaten and burned in a motel, he said he cannot find anybody like to talk about her.
>> I wanted someone to give a voice to a 10-year-old because what an awful thing to happen.
The sheriff who handled the investigation agreed to talk.
We sat down and it is just so sad to me that the Elah person to give a voice to this baby are people who saw her -- the only person to give a voice to the baby of the people who saw her after she died.
>> People wanted to set the record straight about their loved ones.
>> He got involved in the wrong crowd of people and that is when drugs came in.
The rest is history.
He kind of tried several times to keep the addiction, but -- to kick the addiction, but I guess the addiction was a little stronger than him.
>> He got a great mother, a great-grandmother.
They have daughters and grandkids.
Just to have the direction.
They had no male support.
Some need it.
My nephew was really crying out for help, because he had a little incident a while back that he wanted me to hug him, to hold him, to say it was going to be all right.
I see it in his eyes.
I didn't give him no Hogwarts Ellin that I love him.
I see the anger.
-- I didn't give him no hog.
I didn't tell that I love him.
>> How do you do it?
How do I do this?
What do I do the next day?
What do I do?
>> As the year went on, will Yurman says he became obsessed by the news.
>> I would check the newspaper website hourly, sometimes more.
I would take the evening news.
I would wake of an imminent attack the computer to see if someone had died overnight.
-- I would wake up in the money and check the computer to see if someone had died overnight.
It is not something I like to doing.
I mean, the rewards were there, but it was not something I enjoy.
I was not looking forward to having a first contact.
>> Now that the project is complete, everybody can see the photos in interviews online.
>> It is impossible for me to look at these pictures and not the other mothers of 19-year-old.
>> This is the curator of photographs at the George Eastman House.
>> This is ours, this is our particular paint in Rochester.
-- pain in Rochester.
What moves me is that we are able to look at it and try to work together to change it.
>> What matters to me is that each person was a person and a loss matters to the family.
I did not know when I began, but I expected to find a grieving mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and that is exactly what I found.
It did not matter to them how their loved one died, it just meant that they had died.
The violent nature of the debt is something that affected all of them.
>> "Need to Know."
" Brenda Tremblay.
We're going to take closer look at one of the problem is, a look at one of Latasha Shaw died.
She was allegedly killed when she confronted a mob of young women who were harassing her 14-year-old daughter.
>> She was classy, she was stylish.
You got to know her.
That smile.
She got that smile and that gleam in her eyes.
She was the peacefullest person I knew.
I never heard her raise her voice.
The people that done it to work, not only did you take away from the family, you to get away from all of us.
She was a negotiator.
That was her job that day when she went over there.
It to seek and keep peace.
She did not go there to put no violence.
Anything go wrong, you call me and I will come and get you, and that is what she did.
>> Busch Gardens, Disney World, all that, everywhere we did something different.
She made sure we was together.
No matter what.
She kept us together.
>> Oh, my gosh, if you asked her for advice, if you really did not want to hear the truth, you should never ask for in the first time, because she is going to tell you exactly how it is, and she, like, told you what you needed to hear.
And not what she thought you wanted to hear.
She told exactly how it was.
>> Not just for me but for a lot of bright -- a lot of people.
>> She just had something about her that you want to be around her of the time, you know?
>> She is just unbelievable.
She was just different, unique, she was just everything.
I cannot even put it in words.
She was that special kind of person.
She loved everyone around her.
>> There have been no arrests in a Latasha Shaw's case.
Her mother Betty Grayson and Will Yurman are with us now.
Thank you both for joining us.
Mrs. Grace and, looking at the peace that will did about Latasha -- Betty Grayson, looking at the peace that will did of Latasha, it is obvious that there has pain in the family, but there were co-workers and long lines of people coming to market were you surprised by the community reaction to her death?
>> Yes, I was, very much so.
I did not know she was well known like that.
>> How did it make you feel?
Did it help at all?
>> In the beginning it did.
But now that no arrests have been made, it is a sort of father immediate >> -- It is a sort of bothering me.
>> Is the committee they came there in the morning, is that still there?
>> Some of them.
Some of them are still there.
They call, just phone calls.
>> In your experience, will, in meeting some many of the semis, -- so many of these families, with the cut closest family member that came and dealt with these homicides --
>> I think there is always a ripple effect, and the immediate family is most impacted.
But then friends and sometimes co-workers.
They were all impacted eventually by the loss and the violence.
But yes, it is something that affects everyone.
>> With the fact that no one has come forward in your daughter's case, it is surprising to me, because your granddaughter apparently knew the children of the young women who were part of this attack.
What is going on?
I know you are frustrated.
>> Well, a lot of people have come forward.
I have gotten a lot of phone calls, I had people who told me who did, I have had people still talking about it.
But it DA has not made no arrests.
-- but the district attorney has not made no arrests.
>> You say you are frustrated, but is it more than that?
You seem a very --
>> Yes, right now it is hopeless.
I do not think the ago to arrest anybody.
I do not think they are working as hard as they say on the case.
Because we do not have too much information to give them.
>> Well, you did a number of cases that have not been resolved.
Collectively, are you seeing this sort of hopelessness in the community that these things are happening often, they are very difficult for the legal community to pursue, and where does that leave the people left behind?
>> You know, having done this project is not make me an expert on the criminal justice side of things, but certainly families that are waiting for arrests grow frustrated.
I think it is one more piece of the puzzle that they are missing.
There is something that comes with an arrest and conviction.
I cannot imagine families go through anywhere along the process.
But not having those answers is a very hard, and there were homicides from beginning of the year where there stopping of arrests made.
I talk to those families and moms and others and -- where there have not been arrests made.
I talk to the semis and moms and brothers and sisters and it is natural.
>> When you talk to that the friends and co-workers and to person who knew the child in chemical, there are a lot of people out there who may not have known the person as personally, who have this lack of closure and openness to the case.
>> We all have a vested interest in finding out what happened.
The immediate family is directly impacted and their pain is unimaginable.
But it spreads out to co-workers like you said, and family and friends and the whole community.
Even if it cannot live near or -- even if you did not live near or knew the person who died, everyone impacted by these crimes is left in the the more scared and angry and disconnected from things.
When you can at least half the resolution of an arrest with a conviction, that helps.
>> How much has your life changed since the two #29?
-- Since September 29?
>> It has changed a lot.
I am more depressed.
Even my grandkids, they go through,, they are going through things.
-- they go through a trauma, they are going through things.
They are changed.
>> Do you have any ideas of what would help this community?
>> Really, to tell you the truth, no, I do not know what is going to happen.
I do not know what to say to help.
>> Well, do you think what the fund might help in some ways?
He said at the end of Brenda's piece that there is some reward and did not mean that in the subject to recovering, but some reward in putting together this documentation.
What did you mean?
>> I do not know it -- I do not remember exactly what I said to Brenda, but the gift is that of sharing.
Betty Grayson and other family members are willing to share their pain and their most personal moments, and that is a personal gift for me.
My hope is that the same feelings are transmitted through the project to the rest of the community.
Even if you live in areas that are not directly impacted, you feel that real people suffer real loss and that we are all affected and maybe people start doing things to make a difference.
>> Do you think people outside of your circle and Latasha's Circle care?
>> Yes.
I've gotten letters from people from different places.
I do not use the computer, but they said that her funeral has impacted a lot of people from Ohio, different states.
>> Given the nature of her death.
Well, thank you again for sharing this with everybody, and will, thank you for the work you've done.
Mrs. Betty Grayson, the mother of murder victim Latasha Shaw, and photojournalist Will Yurman.
His project documenting these victims is on display in the George Eastman House.
There is also a link to the slide show Brenda's blog, go to interactive.wxxi.org/blogs and look for the "days are where we live" post.
We're now joined by Jason Scott, assistant professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology and head of the public safety initiative.
You have explored a lot of different problems related to crime in the community.
You look at the data, look at the numbers for well over a year now.
Other than having more police presence out there, are there any signs that something else will work in the community?
>> There are a number of ongoing efforts that the police department with debt state government are doing.
One of them was announced in the spring.
The then-attorney general Alberto Gonzales was in town.
He announced that Rochester was one of the four cities receiving an anti-gang a grant.
That will provide three years of prevention, enforcement, reentry efforts targeting children that are at risk for gang involvement, targeting known and is serious gang members, as well as those re-entering back into society after spending time in state prison or local jail.
That is bringing together not only local police, state police, county probation, and a number of community organizations that are targeting that.
The role of gangs, drugs and gun crime is really prevalent, and it is difficult to talk about Rochester's crime problem without focusing on that.
>> We talked earlier in the program about how each of murder victim, there are family, friends, co-workers, neighbors who are impacted and affected.
Is there a Rowling impact that you start having crime, and it increases because you are in a neighborhood or crime is prevalent?
>> It is significant, and crime and violence can have a negative impact on communities.
And the ability of communities to defend themselves.
It creates fear, sometimes it creates at the, a lack of trust or confidence in the police -- sometimes a great apathy.
-- Sometimes it creates appetit.
Communities need the resources to address the problem and challenge.
>> Have you looked into the trust of police, just the general feeling?
The former Mayor Bill Johnson says that these neighborhoods are clinically depressed because of the citrus and they are in.
Not just one person, they communities entirely.
-- but the committees entirely.
>> That is a problem being faced by police departments across the country.
This "no snitch" mentality, the way it is presented in popular culture, relying on one's own means to deal with problems rather than dealing with the police.
It is also a challenge nationally.
Probably within the past year we have seen no snitching a campaign -- "note snitching" campaign and we try to develop public awareness campaigns to get around that problem.
It starts with the ability of the police to solve these problems, to protect witnesses and victims and that is central to the challenge.
>> A lot of people say that "no snitching" is not due to added to put fear -- not due to attitude but fear.
>> I think it is both.
It is a culture, a mentality that says that maybe the police are not capable of dealing with these problems, or just a lack of history of the good relationship with -- between presidents and the police.
That is something that not only the Rochester Police Department is challenged with, but it is something that historically the police departments have been challenged with.
>> There are a couple of these programs, one with a church in Rochester.
You follow the truancy, and I note you follow the curfew -- are you going to do research to see if these "in" campaigns have any impact on the community possibility -- these "no Satish" campaigns to see if they have any impact on the committee?
>> We also look at programs implemented throughout the country.
Some are looking at anonymous text message tips, where citizens can provide anonymous information to the police threw another means.
I know in Indianapolis, for example, I never of churches have volunteered to use -- a number of churches have volunteered to use --
>> Is it tough to get a conviction when you have all of these anonymous tips?
>> It can be more challenging, but it provides resources and at least avenues for the police to start.
>> Thank you for your time today.
Jason Scott is a criminologist with the Rochester Institute of technology.
Time for "The Business Section with the Democrat and Chronicle."
Matt Daneman, business reporter for "Democrat and Chronicle" is here to talk about the week in business.
>> Go, giants.
>> This is not a sports segment.
>> It is not the seismic shift into the Rochester economy when they went from No. 1 to No. 2, but in terms of overall jobs, they have 9200, putting them just a little bit behind my demands.
What that means to the community?
Kodak would argue that it is time a whole lot, because there is a whole difference in just as they have outsourced work.
Those are still people working in the Rochester area, just doing it for a different paycheck.
>> So not relying on when the employer is helping the community?
>> In a macro sort of sense, yes, it is better to have different smaller employers as to one big one.
-- as opposed to one big one.
>> The Kodak employees are still losing jobs.
>> He took over for the previous chief, who did not want to stay on for the several years that the owner wanted him to stay on.
His basic point is that the company is where to focus more in a, the the developing -- going to focus more in Asia, and that the company is committed to Rochester.
>> That was a big question when it got taken over.
The University of Rochester is trying new branding strategy.
>> If you watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, you'll see the University of Rochester Medical center advertise.
It will not be a national ad.
But basically it is just try to broaden its brand and get more of a Northeast presence.
They're already been focusing on not just being Rochester area.
>> How far does that go?
Who will see it?
>> That is a good question.
I do not know.
The military regime and a factor in Rochester owned by a company in Florida, it had a really good at financial quarter with revenues 30%.
Like 1.3 billion in revenues.
The other business lines are flat, but military's across the world, they buy these suckers left and right.
>> Are they watching the situation in Iraq?
>> The company is definitely of the mine said that even as the U.S. military pulls out of Iraq, -- definitely of the mindset that even as the U.S. military pulls out of Iraq, there is still a lot business.
>> That concludes this edition of "Need to Know."
I will see you next week.