Program hits crime from 2 directions The Weed and Seed effort attempts to lock up criminals and help neighborhood activities.

CAMDEN — As Constance Williams led law enforcement officials and local children on a walk in the heat and humidity last night, she said that locking up drug dealers was only part of the solution to the neighborhood's crime problems.

"The bottom line is, if we don't have anything to offer them instead of the streets, everything we do then will be in vain," said Williams, 60.

Weed and Seed, a federal program that started 10 years ago by the Department of Justice, was designed to solve those problems. The idea is to weed out drug dealing and crime in neighborhoods while seeding those same areas with community activities and programs for residents. Money from the program is being spent in the Eastside and Parkside neighborhoods, and at the Northgate One apartment building.

Williams led the walk through the Eastside section to highlight the program's "walk and talk" aspect, which involves meeting with local residents to talk about problems and ways to improve the neighborhood.

A second "walk and talk" was held later on in the evening for residents in Northgate.

The Weed and Seed program is run by Camden Neighborhood Renaissance, said Carol Dann, the group's executive director. It was awarded $175,000 last year, Dann said, with $125,000 going toward community programs and $50,000 for law enforcement. She expects the program to receive $225,000 this year.

Dann said money from Weed and Seed was being used to help after-school activities for children and programs for the elderly. Those programs serve 150 people, she said.

A spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said that in the first six months of this year, the Weed and Seed program led to 61 arrests and the confiscation of six guns.

Camden County Prosecutor Lee A. Solomon said Weed and Seed gives "more bang for the buck" by packaging already-existing resources and targeting specific areas.

"It's common sense," Solomon said. "If you're going to deal with street crimes and violence in the neighborhoods, you have to look at it holistically and build partnerships between community and public agencies."

Adam L. Cataldo's e-mail address is acataldo@phillynews.com