A community activist, armed with a chain saw and spray paint, is trying to send a message to gangs and drug dealers in an Augusta neighborhood.

Woody Merry used the chain saw Monday to chop down a Bradford pear tree that he said was the meeting spot for drug deals in the neighborhood.

Merry also spray-painted "GOT COPS" over graffiti. The slogan stands for "Get Out of Town; Citizens on Patrol Surveillance."

Lori Davis, a past president of the Harrisburg West End Neighborhood Association, said the tree needed to come down.

She said an elementary school opened in August across the street from the tree, and the surrounding area wasn't cleaned up. Now, Merry and others say they're trying to make the neighborhood safer.

Tags: Augusta, drug tree, community activis, spray paint, Harrisburg West End Neighborhood Association, Woody Merry