Linked on the sidebar is Lori's handout on "How To Get A Drug Dealer Arrested".  Her experience that led to this publication goes back to a drug dealing family that lived in the neighborhood.  This family flaunted their lifestyle with expensive tricked out vehicles and flashy clothes.  Lori watched each day as the same dealer pulled up and parked across from the school parking lot with his loud stereo and waited for the kids to come running over after school.  That was when she learned about the 1000 foot buffer zone.

 

The 1000 feet Drug Free School Zone laws

 

Texas Health & Safety Code Sec. 481.134 establishes "Drug-Free Zones' as an enhancement to penalties for certain drug-related offenses that occur within the "Drug-Free Zones". One of the zones described in Sec. 481.134 is a 1000-foot buffer around schools. For prosecution purposes, a map of this 1000-foot zone is admissible as prima facie evidence, if the map complies with the requirements of Sec. 481.135 [TX HBSC].

 

Cities and schools could opt into this type of zoning and the 1000 foot buffer zone was set up to increase the charges against those who would target school areas for drug activity.  This raised the stakes for those that were opening dealing drugs in her neighborhood.

 

Lori began to engage her neighbors and solicit their cooperation to turn in all suspicious activity to APD.  To some, being a "snitch " is dishonorable.   Retaliation is much feared.   So Lori talked with her neighbors, one to one and encouraged them to call in whatever they saw that looked like drug dealing-getting license plate numbers, descriptions of people and activity.   For those who were hesitant to get involved, Lori agreed that people could call her with the information and Lori would call it in.  She tried to give her community confidence that APD would work with them to rid their neighborhood of these dealers.  It took a very long time, and much documentation, but she finally saw success with the arrest and prosecution of individuals who had plagued the neighborhood for years.  It was the first time in Austin that someone was convicted under the Drug Free School Zone law.

 

Lori currently serves on the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee to help all of Austin create a vision for the future.  She has been a driving force in helping East Austin shape their own community - a neighborhood rich in history, but not without struggles. 

She urges everyone to get involved in planning for all of Austin's unique neighborhoods.