Defenders: Drug deals, prostitution still happening in front of children

DETROIT – It was an investigation that caused community outrage. Children waiting for the school bus were sharing the sidewalks with prostitutes and drug dealers. It was something the city and police would take care of immediately, right? Wrong.

Local 4 Defender cameras in January captured the scene on John R Street between Six Mile and Eight Mile roads.

Drug deals and propositions for sex were being handled in the open, right in front of young eyes.

Prostitution and loitering are against the law, but the families who lived in the neighborhood told the Defenders that police weren't stopping it from happening.

The Defenders showed the pleas from parents to police to clean up the area, and police promised to work on it.

"I want to thank Channel 4 for bringing this to our attention," said Detroit Police Commander Elvin Barren. "We are staying out there,"

But now, six months later, the problem isn't getting better.

The Defender cameras went back to the area.

Once the cameras came out and a police patrol car drove by, the prostitutes did leave, but only for a few hours.

Join Kevin Dietz live on Facebook at 11:15 p.m. Sunday, July 20, to talk about how to help solve this problem.