A conscious decision was made not to include authorities such as the police so that those there had an open forum to express their views, Mrs Jessup said.
At that meeting there were a number of ideas on how the community could take the lead to address the issues, which will be followed up at the second public meeting tomorrow.
Mrs Jessup said she had lived in Flaxmere for 40 years and had brought up eight children there.
"Things like this used to happen in America but now they are happening right here.
"We are wanting to find a better way to work around what's happening and turn Flaxmere back into the safe, fun-loving community we once had."
Dale Ennor also helped organise the first meeting and said she grew up in the suburb, then left for many years, returning seven months ago.
"I could not believe the decline in the little place I had grown up in," she said.
Compared to then vandalism was now a regular occurrence, as were thefts, and there were public areas of the suburb that people no longer felt safe to walk in at night.
"We have to do something as a community - I want us to be like we were with a sense of safety and camaraderie.
"We know the parents of some of these kids and we'd like to get them involved to find a solution without fear of any repercussions."
She said people were angry about what was going on but that would not solve the problem.
Some of the ideas that came out of the first meeting included increasing community involvement in after-hour patrols, strengthening the Maori wardens, events to bring whanau together and extra lighting in public areas.
Mrs Jessup said these ideas would be discussed more fully at tomorrow's meeting with people encouraged to "bring a positive vibe to turn the tide".
"We are looking for commonsense, easy ways to find solutions, and it's all about being inclusive - everyone's input is valued but please keep it positive."
Tomorrow night's public meeting will be held at the Flaxmere Baptist Church on the corner of Caernavon Drive and Swansea Rd, starting at 6.30pm.