Newspapers: Crusading

Crime and public apathy toward it were on the rise in Indianapolis the night that Dr. Margaret Marshall, a 90-year-old retired psychologist and teacher, stepped from her doorway into a darkened street. Without warning, a mugger lashed out at her head with a blunt weapon and snatched her purse. When Dr. Marshall died of her injuries, the Indianapolis News was deluged with letters from infuriated women. Assistant Publisher Eugene S. Pulliam asked one of the paper's staffers, Margaret Moore, 56, to help 30 prominent civic-minded women to decide on a course of action.

That was in March of 1962. Since then, President Johnson's Crime Commission has decided that "the most dramatic example in the country of a citizens' group that has addressed itself forcefully and successfully to the problems of crime and criminal justice is the Anti-Crime Crusade in Indianapolis." To man the crusade, Margaret Moore mobilized the 50,000 members of more than 1,000 Indianapolis women's organizations. "The first six months," says Mrs. Moore, a widow, "we went to the power structure and listened to all their problems in crime prevention. Then we listened to outside experts explain ways of dealing with them." The view was the same from the male side of the fence: "They were around here for months asking questions before they made a move," says Police Chief Daniel T. Veza.

Down with Darkness. Even then, the police did not take kindly to the prospect of having a bunch of women tell them how to run their business. Crusade Coordinator Moore and a co-worker camped at police headquarters for 48 hours, explaining in plain language at every roll call that they were there to help, not hinder. They proved their point by using the News to lobby for —and help get—raises for patrolmen. As the women rode along in squad cars for full eight-hour shifts, their determination helped win over the cops.

On one of these rides, a Crusade volunteer learned that a high percentage of violent crimes were committed on dark streets. "The worst," says Mrs. Moore, "were the semicommercial, semiresidential neighborhoods near the downtown area." More lobbying followed, and more newspaper stories; since 1962, about 9,000 new streetlights have been installed, at a cost of nearly $1,000,000. Police figure that crime has dropped as much as 85% in the newly illuminated areas.

Shaking Up Courts. At the end of 1962, the women began a "court watcher" program. Some 3,000 women have sat in on more than 70,000 cases, filled out reports on the defendant, the charge, the plea, the verdict, the proceedings. Was the judge punctual? Were the attorneys prepared with their cases, or did they ask for a continuance? Was the arresting officer present to testify? Some attorneys disapproved, but court efficiency increased. "It's the only honest evaluation we get," says Judge William T. Sharp. "It shakes everybody up and makes us analyze our decisions."