Lyndhurst St. residents: media gave bad rap

On Monday afternoon, the loudest noise midway down Lyndhurst Street was the chirping of crickets on lawns and under the bushes of the large Victorians that tower over the sidewalks.

It's a street where neighbors greet each other from the front porches and screen doors are left unlocked. But three weeks after the so-called occupation of the street by a local minister, the media-generated catch-phrase "Hell Zone" still elicits bitter responses from the residents.

"I think the Herald and the Globe owe us all an apology," said resident Kathleen Martin. "They were the major players in this."

While residents acknowledge the presence of criminal activity near the street's …