At 6-foot 4-inches, 300 pounds Joseph Bushfan might look more like a bodyguard than the hotdog cart owner he is now.

"I used to do protective services for Bobby and Whitney, Alicia Keys, and Earth, Wind and Fire," he said with a smile on his face, looking out at the corner of Angier Ave. and Driver St. "I've seen a lot in my life but I've never seen anything like northeast Durham."

What started as Joe's Big Hot Dogs will morph into restaurant, Internet café and grocery store at the first of this year. He's one of several business owners who have taken interest in a section of Durham once known for having the highest crime rate in town.

"There's some really decent people here and they need a second shot," Bushfan said. "Most of them think they're stuck in a rut because they're in a negative area; but that's all about to end as far as I'm concerned."

Research from the Durham Police Department shows that extra patrols in the "Bull's Eye" area have paid off. From May 2006 to April 2007, there were 929 total violent gun crime incidents citywide. Nineteen percent, or 184 of them, happened in the Bull's Eye target area. In the next year, there were 851 incidents citywide and 130 (15.28 percent) in the Bull's Eye. But over this last year, according to records, there were 770 incidents citywide and 113 (14.68 percent) in the Bull's Eye.

"While such crimes are down 17.1 percent citywide," the report reads, "they are down 38.6 percent in the target area, which is continuing to be a less concentrated area of gun violence within the City."

But those who grew up there and have recently taken interest in coming back for business know changing perceptions is going to be tough.

"East Durham has changed since I grew up here," said Sandra Rorie, who is well-known as ‘Nana.' "It's been one of the neighborhoods that appears it's kind of been shut off."

Rorie said she wanted to make a difference when she opened Nana's Café two months ago.

"I think it's going to take more people believing in east Durham," she said.

Nathaniel Harris, who was working on housing construction for New Beginnings ministry, said slow progress that everyone is making in the Bull's Eye makes a difference in morale.

"It just brings more structure -- good structure -- to the neighborhood," he said. "It inspires a lot of people in the area; gives back hope."

 Contact Josh Green, NBC 17 News Reporter:
jgreen@wncn.com