| Author | Message | ||
     ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 4527 Registered: 9-2001  |
...thank you for sharing Gj1, Do you believe it won’t be safer? Did I miss something in the Bill of Rights? Are there more appropriate safeguards for our problems? There is no middle ground. We’re safe or we’re not. The Township Committee is elected to make these decisions, not residents. Tom, I thought you were afraid of BIG BROTHER? Are you now saying, if it doesn't cost the taxpayers anything, you no longer care about the cameras? BTW, if you own a crystal ball, would you please tell us where is there no threat of crime? | ||
| Joan Supporter Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 6753 Registered: 5-2001 |
For an ordinance to be truly effective, it has to be enforced. At the present time, the town hasn't shown a very good track record when it comes to enforcing ordinances which are already on the books. What makes us think that any new ordinances which may be passed in reaction to a sudden interest in anti-crime legislation will be enforced to any greater degree than the sidewalk maintenance ordinace, the leash law, or the the ordinance governing rental units (to name a few)? Yes it is important to get the wording of any new ordinace right so that it has a chance of targeting the problem it is intended to resolve and we should debate the concepts and the wording to ensure that any new ordinance has some hope of enabling a move towards the intended solution but it is equally important to consider how enforceable any new ordinance will be. On the subject of camers, we have to weigh the public reaction to using closed circuit cameras in our town, not necessarily in the village during business hours (remember all those after hours robberies a few years ago) but in places and at times when there has been a pattern of crimes, especially violent crimes against the cost of the cameras and the cost of maintaining staff to monitor those cameras. The N-R article, assuming the N-R is a viable source, stated that SO currently monitors those camers only a few hours a day. Cameras have to be monitored to be effective in spotting and responding to crimes within a reasonable period of time to catch the perpetrator. Otherwise, they are just another appendage to our town's infrastructure. What is missing from this discussion is any debate on preventative measures which can be taken to avoid the problem of crime in the first place. Expansion of neighborhood watch programs, initiatives to increase street and park usage for positive purposes in the evening hours, initiatives to increase community cohesiveness, parenting assistance programs and the like are just a few other directions this discussion can and should take. | ||
| Pizzaz Supporter Username: Pizzaz Post Number: 2939 Registered: 11-2001  |
The expansion of cnw and the more frequent utilization of the parks for public enjoyment and recreation uses are very solid recommendations.  | ||
| tom Citizen Username: Tom Post Number: 4049 Registered: 5-2001 |
Having the cameras monitored is self-defeating. Nobody has the patience to watch a bank of monitors for hours on end so they can catch the few seconds of a crime. How long does it take for somebody to sideswipe a car, grab a purse, cap somebody? We'd be paying scores of people to sit around staring at -- how many? -- cameras' output in the remote chance something readily identifiable as a crime happens just when their eyes just happen to be on that screen. Then they have to call and get a patrol car over there -- in how many minutes? -- to catch the perpetrator, who is long gone anyway. Have the feeds taped and kept somewhere secure. If someone's car is stolen from a location between 2 and 2:30, pull out the tapes of that area at that time and watch them, to find the evidence to catch the bad guys. If not, erase the tape. Restrict use to evidence related to reported incidents of violent or property crime. Not littering, illegal parking, stop-sign running, speeding. That way, no invasion of privacy. The fact that the cameras are there ready to record you for posterity if you commit a crime will go a long way towards deterrence. | ||
| Lydia Supporter Username: Lydial Post Number: 1486 Registered: 5-2001 |
I'm not sure 100% how I feel about cameras in the village. What I am sure about is we should enforce the rules on the books NOW and revisit the camera question in a few years. Walking from Memorial Park to the village via the walking tunnel and emerging behind the post office - lots of graffiti, "MSO" which is gang-related, and it's been there for months. Speeding on Ridgewood Road in the morning - have a police officer stop everyone who speeds and doesn't yield to pedestrians at crosswalks. Give a month of "warning" tickets and on Feb. 1 start with the speeding tickets, points, etc. Ticketing people going 30 in a 25-MPH zone isn't helpful, but the people who race down Ridgewood doing 50 MPH need to slow down. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 4528 Registered: 9-2001 |
“What I am sure about is we should enforce the rules on the books NOW and revisit the camera question in a few years..” This is not a good idea. I’m sorry Lydia, but we need to face the problems in our community now, not two years from now. The gang presence is here and it’s increasing. Why in the world would we allow a confirmed criminal presence in our town to entrench itself further. I agree, enforcing the laws on the books is important, but contrary to popular belief, the police are doing a very respectable job. Damn it all, we need to give them all the help they need to protect us from this scourge!!! As you said, you may not be 100% sure how you feel about cameras in the village, but our Chief is, and so am I. Listen, everyone has to stop second-guessing the professionals. We need the cameras everywhere our police department said we do. Why in the world do we have so many armchair quarterbacks spewing their fears and insecurities over civil liberties that are already fully protected by law? Not one of the posters I’ve heard from thus far has claimed to have one once of experience or training in police work. I truly wish that some of you naysayers will reconsider your positions and weigh the downside of what you’re proposing more carefully. BTW, Tom I agree we don't need to monitor the video except when there's a problem. Then we can go to the video tape... | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 11247 Registered: 1-2003  |
Art, the reason I brought that up was that it's probably a bad idea. It was to make an illustration. We used H2TA as an example of not needing a security guard and not wanting to pay for it. The guard would make you somewhat safer but isn't cost-justified, right? The same is probably true of the camera. Plus, having you (or Art G) shoulder the cost makes the lack of justification more apparent. (OK, I know you've sold out of H2TA, but it's an example you're very familiar with.) Also, considering that township costs are on a trend of being unbundled from property taxes, this is another double edged sword. We separately pay for water, sewage, garbage collection, and who knows, maybe it will be security cameras. That would be annoying, but on the other hand, it would make us think about the worthiness of the cost. I don't think there's anywhere that is free of the threat of crime. But it's more in some places and less in others. If I lived in some places, I might favor cameras. Similarly, it is pretty clear we don't need them in other places. See, there's an example of middle ground. There is no such thing as absolute safety, and there's no such thing as absolute danger. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 4530 Registered: 9-2001 |
You made my case Tom... "there’s no such thing as absolute safety." And, that’s proof enough to justify installing cameras anywhere the police department feels they may be needed. IMHO, we’re worth all the time, effort, and the cost. | ||
| Nohero Supporter Username: Nohero Post Number: 4881 Registered: 10-1999  |
Excuse my ignorance - what does the "MSO" grafitti mentioned above refer to? | ||
| Lydia Supporter Username: Lydial Post Number: 1488 Registered: 5-2001 |
Art, Maybe the cameras will help, I don't know. It seems to me that if we (as a town) don't do the basics, i.e. erasing graffiti ASAP, enforcing the loitering, speeding and meandering in the street laws that we have on the books now - dotting the village with cameras is jumping ahead to step #9 when we haven't tried #4, 5, 6, 7, etc. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 4531 Registered: 9-2001 |
Lydia, There is more than sufficient evidence that cameras will work in both the private and public sectors. The use of them will help in reducing graffiti, enforcing loitering, littering, speeding, illegal turns, car thiefs, and basically assisting with many of the laws we presently have on the books... Please consider that it's difficult to control what they can't always see. However, what they can see on CCTV, they can dispatch officers and follow-up on.... The improvement will be immediate and dramatic in all areas you mention. | ||
| marie Citizen Username: Marie Post Number: 1361 Registered: 6-2001 |
YOUTH AND GANGS If gangs are threatening your community, read this section to learn how to take back control. The section begins with background information on gangs and the criminal justice system response to gangs. The strategies and tactics section includes steps you can take regardless of whether gangs are a long-standing problem or are just beginning to take hold. Although the focus is on relatively short-term objectives, strategies are also included for developing positive alternatives to gangs for youth in your community. Analyzing the Problem Experienced community activists will tell you that your best chance against gangs is to take action at the first sign of them. In some communities, gangs are just now gaining a foothold, with parents, politicians, business owners, and even the police still "in denial." In many other neighborhoods, gang activity and violence are out of control and the ideal time to begin has passed. Either way, there are really only two choices: band together and take deliberate, well reasoned steps to combat the problem, or give up and turn over what's left of the neighborhood to the gangs. This section offers some background information about gangs and the criminal justice system's response to them, along with questions to ask when analyzing the gang problems in your neighborhood. Gang Territory. Most gangs are composed of young people who live in the same area-a block or two, a neighborhood, a multi-family apartment building or complex, a school area. Loyalty to the neighborhood (the "hood") is vitally important to many gangs, and it is common for gangs to have names that reflect this (57th Ave. Crips, Tortilla Flats, etc.). In fact, while gang shootings and assaults are sometimes drug-related, more often they occur when a gang believes its turf has been encroached upon, or when gang members believe they have been disrespected in some way. Gang Activities. Youth in gangs, like other teenagers, spend a lot of time just hanging out together. The main differences are their expressions of loyalty to the gang and their involvement in delinquent and criminal activity. They may be chronically truant, take lunch money, bully or intimidate other students or residents, fight, shoplift, drink, use drugs, spray graffiti, and commit other acts of vandalism. At the more extreme end of the spectrum, gang members may be involved in drug crimes, stealing cars, weapons offenses, felony assaults, arson, extortion, drive-by shootings, and homicides. Gangs and guns are a lethal combination in some communities, with semiautomatic pistols as one of the most common weapons. Some gang members may travel out of state to buy guns and bring them back, and a few gangs have even had members enlist in the military to learn about combat tactics and weapons. Organization and Leadership. Very few gangs are tightly structured and businesslike. Even large, violent gangs that claim to have members throughout a city are generally not well organized, but instead tend to be a loose affiliation of small, neighborhood-based gangs, sometimes called "sets." There are recognized leaders-usually the members with the most money, drug or gun connections, or reputations for being the toughest-but leadership status tends to come and go. Gangs that are well organized tend to be "dedicated" to a particular type of crime like drug dealing, extortion, robbery, burglary, auto theft, and others. Some gangs (such as the Mexican Mafia in California and several Southwestern states and the Vice Lords in Chicago) have leaders who exert control from their prison cells over gang activities back in their neighborhoods. Migration. A gang may have migrated to your neighborhood from another city, but it is more likely that it was started by local youth, sometimes with help from outsiders (for example, gang-involved youth whose parents sent them to live with relatives in what they hope is a safer neighborhood). In fact, many police gang experts believe "the spread of street gangs is more a spread of street gang culture than the development of individual gangs with a national infrastructure. While some street gangs have national scope, many are localized imitations of Los Angeles or Chicago street gangs." Race and Ethnic Background. Gangs are often, but not always, organized along racial or ethnic lines. Predominantly African American gangs may identify with (but not necessarily be closely linked with) gangs like the Crips in Los Angeles or the Black Gangster Disciples (BGDs) in Chicago or Detroit; or they may be strictly local gangs. The gangs in the District of Columbia are called "crews." Primarily Hispanic gangs may be neighborhood-based and independent, or they may affiliate with a larger gang like the Latin Kings (to name just one). Jamaican gangs, usually called "posses," and gangs whose members represent Asian cultures (Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Samoa, and others) may be found throughout the country. Caucasian gangs include motorcycle gangs; "skinheads," who have a white supremacist agenda; or "stoner" gangs, which are mostly into using drugs. Gangs, however, may also be racially mixed, a trend that seems to be increasing in some cities. Signs and Symbols. Generally speaking, youth who belong to gangs tend to advertise their gang status, both by physical signs and symbols and by attitudes that reflect their rejection of authority and of conventional lifestyles. Nicknames ("monikers," or street names) are common. Gangs often distinguish themselves by wearing the same colors, clothing styles, clothing brands, hair styles, jewelry, and tattoos; by "throwing" or "flashing" hand signs; or by using special symbols (crown, pitchfork, six-pointed star, etc.) in their graffiti or on their clothing or property. Popular styles or brands may change, and some symbols are not obvious. In one city, for example, tennis shoes hanging over a telephone wire indicated a gang presence. Finally, there are some gangs that don't "advertise"-members don't wear colors, act out in school, etc. A number of Asian gangs and drug-dealing gangs fall into this group. Age and Sex. There are many accounts of children involved with gangs as early as elementary school, but more typically, gangs attract youth between the ages of about 14 and 21. However, some gangs have members in their twenties, thirties, or older. These members may be called "OGs," "old gangsters," or "original gangsters." Gangs may be all male or all female, or they may have full-fledged members of both sexes. All-male gangs are the most common, with females involved on the periphery. Female friends of gang members may just socialize with them, or they may also commit delinquent or criminal acts (steal weapons, hold or sell drugs, fight, act as spies). They are often subjected to physical or verbal abuse. Just as alarming, some communities report increasing numbers of all-female gangs, some of which focus on particular crimes, such as ATM robberies, forgery, or shoplifting. Gang Initiation and Status. Prospective gang members may be required to prove themselves by going through an initiation ritual before being accepted into a gang. This may involve committing a criminal act or taking a beating (sometimes called "jumping in" or "beating in"). Girls who join a primarily male gang may be initiated the same way, or by committing a sexual act ("sexing in"). Police often use the term "hard core" to describe the relatively small number of members who have a strong commitment to a gang and who commit violent or other serious crimes. Those with a somewhat lesser commitment and less frequent involvement in serious crimes may be classified by police as gang "associates." The term "wannabe" is sometimes used to refer to young children or teens who show an interest in gangs but are not members. For example, they may adopt a gang's style of dress, scribble gang symbols on notebooks, or run errands for gang members. Many gang experts discourage the term wannabe because they do not want to exaggerate these children's gang involvement or add them inappropriately to a database of gang members. Gangs and Criminal Justice Agencies Police. Some police departments have specialized gang units, and others do not. Lack of a gang unit may be a matter of money, priorities, or "official" denial of gang problems; or the department may believe that other strategies are more effective. The point is to find out what your police department is doing to deal with gangs. If the department does have a gang unit, it may be part of field operations, investigations, juvenile, or some other division or bureau. The unit's duties may be intelligence-gathering, maintaining a gang database, enforcement, investigations, coordination with other jurisdictions, prevention, education, or some combination of these. Some gang units operate anonymous tip lines. Some have special teams dispatched to diffuse or intervene in school-based gang incidents. It is also important to discover your department's overriding gang-enforcement strategies. For example, is the emphasis on developing complex cases against gang leaders, street-level enforcement, or both? What is its relationship with other agencies, particularly the schools and community organizations in your neighborhood? How do officers' cultural sensitivity and language skills match up with the ethnic and racial backgrounds of gang members in your neighborhood? If the department has a gang unit, how does it coordinate with community policing officers assigned to your neighborhood? How does it coordinate with drug enforcement units? Probation and Parole. The juvenile or adult probation departments serving your city may also have gang units. In some cities, police gang officers train probation personnel on gang signs, symbols, and activities. Police may team with probation officers to identify gang members, returning to custody those who violate the terms of their probation or parole. Questions to ask include these: u Which field offices serve probationers and parolees who reside in your neighborhood? How does the probation office work with police and others on gangrelated cases and problems? What conditions of probation must be met by gang-involved youth? What services do they receive that might help them break their involvement with gangs? Juvenile probation officers and supervisors in the field office closest to your neighborhood should be able to tell you more about the gangs that threaten you. They also have considerable power when it comes to holding violent gang members accountable. Prosecution. You will also want to know more about the prosecutor's and court's response to gangs. For example, does the prosecutor's office use "vertical prosecution" in cases involving gang members? (Vertical prosecution occurs when one prosecutor or a team of prosecutors is assigned exclusively to handle gang-related cases.) What information can the prosecutor give you about gang cases in your neighborhood? (Some prosecutors maintain their own gang databases while others use databases operated by the police.) Does the prosecutor use a "community prosecution" approach, with one or more prosecutors assigned exclusively to a community that includes your neighborhood? What protections are available for victims and witnesses in gang cases? Corrections. Most issues related to juvenile corrections go beyond the scope of this chapter. Still, as part of your strategy, you will want answers to these questions: What services are provided at juvenile correctional facilities that might help youth give up gangs? How does staff limit residents' contact with other gang members in the institution and back home? What kind of follow-up supervision and services do gang-involved youth receive when they return home? How can the community enhance supervision or improve services? These questions are critical because, even when correctional services are available, their chances for long-term success are greatly diminished if the youth returns to a neighborhood where gangs "rule" and positive alternatives are limited. Taking Inventory of Your Gang Problem To be sure your resources and energy are not misdirected, get all the information you can about the particular gang problem in your neighborhood. Be sure to find out if there is an existing anti-gang coalition you can contact-either a citywide group, or groups in specific neighborhoods. Ask the police and prosecutor about state and local gang-related laws and ordinances. You may well find that "official" police, school, court, and other data about gangs is scarce. Many police agencies, for example, do not classify crimes as gangrelated or not. Spend time talking to individual police officers and supervisorscommunity policing officers assigned to your neighborhood, the precinct commander and community policing coordinator, gang and drug unit personnel, and juvenile officers. Meet with school administrators, teachers, counselors, and coaches. Ask about truancy and dropout rates and what is being done about them. Tip: Find out how your police define the term "gang-related." In some departments, any crime involving a known gang member is classified as gang-related, whether or not the person was acting on behalf of the gang. This may end up overstating the gang problem. Other departments do not classify a crime as gang-related unless it is considered gang-motivated. This may tend to understate the gang problem. Talk to recreation center supervisors, business owners, faith community leaders, public housing and other multi-family housing staff, hospital emergency room personnel-anyone who has firsthand knowledge of gangs in your community. Talk to former gang members as well as neighborhood youth who have successfully avoided gang involvement. Look for youth groups already involved in addressing gang issues, either through the schools, churches, or other neighborhood organizations. Questions to Ask How many members and associates does the gang have? What are the age range, gender, and ethnic background of its members? What are the gang's signs and symbols and what do they mean? Is the gang independent or affiliated with other gangs? Does it present a new or a long-standing problem in the community? What geographic area does the gang claim, if any? Who are its rivals? In what types of delinquent and criminal activities are gang members engaged? (You should try to describe as specifically as possible the who, what, where, and when.) Who are the leaders? Are they in school? On probation? Are there outstanding warrants for their arrest? What types of gang problems have occurred in the schools? What policies do the schools have related to gangs (for example, weapons policies or dress and behavior codes)? How are those policies enforced? What security measures are in place in the schools? How do the schools communicate with and work with the police on gang problems? How do the schools try to prevent gang activity (for example, gang resistance education, conflict mediation, counseling)? How are school facilities in your neighborhood used during the afterschool hours? Are they locked down, or are they available for use by the community? Strategies and Tactics This section presents several strategies for taking back the neighborhood from gangs: u Take collective action to reclaim public spaces. Work with the police and other criminal justice agencies. Improve school safety and security. Improve physical conditions in the neighborhood. Conduct public information campaigns. Provide youth with positive alternatives. Tip: Observe and record neighborhood conditions. Use a checklist or form to record problem locations (places where gangs congregate, drug dealing hot spots, abandoned buildings, vacant lots, etc.) and conditions (such as broken street lights) that encourage gang activity. Photograph graffiti and write date and location on the back of each photo. Strategy 7. Take Collective Action to Reclaim Public Spaces Use these tactics to send a clear message that the community will not tolerate gangs. You may find other useful tactics in the chapters on open-air drug markets, indoor drug markets, and drugs in mufti-family housing areas. Remove Gang Graffiti Immediately. This is one of the clearest, least complicated steps a community can take to demonstrate its unwillingness to tolerate gangs and violence. Some jurisdictions have promised to clean off graffiti in special zones within 24 hours. See Chapter 7 (Graffiti) for more information about how to conduct successful paint-overs and for other graffiti abatement tactics. Take Back a Park or a Street Corner. Hold community events (rallies, block parties, festivals, etc.) in public places that "belong" to gangs. Demonstrate. Hold marches or vigils to demonstrate your unwillingness to live in fear and violence. Mothers Against Gang Violence, Orange Hat brigades, and other groups can provide tips on organizing these events. Join with Others. If there is a citywide anti-gang coalition or similar group, make sure your neighborhood is represented on it. Strategy 2. Work with the Police and Other Criminal Justice Agencies If your community does not have a history of good police/resident relationships, see Chapter 9 for strategies that can help improve this situation. When residents feel comfortable with the officers assigned to their neighborhood, they will be more willing to report crimes and information. Report Crimes and Information. Increase safety and call police attention to your neighborhood by picking up the phone and calling 911 to report gang-related crimes. Form block watches. Cooperate with investigations of hard-core gang leaders. Set Up an Anonymous Tip Line. Establish an anonymous tip line to provide police with information about gangs and violence. See the section on "Putting It All Together" at the end of this chapter for information on the 24-hour Secret Witness Hotline established by the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime in Kansas City, Missouri. Work with Community Policing Officers. Community policing emphasizes assigning officers to specific neighborhoods and encouraging them to solve problems with residents. (See Chapter 9.) Find out who 'your neighborhood's officers are. If your department does not make permanent beat assignments, push for change. Encourage the department to give neighborhood officers beepers or cellular phones so residents can contact them directly. Operate Citizen Patrols. The section on open-air drug dealing discusses this tactic. Improve Victim and Witness Protection. Prosecutors and police often lack resources for witness protection or relocation, which maybe necessary for witnesses of gang violence. Explore possible solutions to this problem with the prosecutor and the victim assistance office. Defuse Gang Conflicts. In some communities, individual leaders have successfully defused volatile situations and have prevented gang confrontations. These leaders have included former gang members, police officers, clergy, university professors, and others. One example is the University of Connecticut Institute for Violence Reduction. Institute staff have intervened with specific gangs in Hartford, and the Institute's board includes clergy, community organizations, Mothers Against Gangs, police, and others. Use the Power of Probation and Parole. Probation officers have enormous power to influence the judge's setting of probation conditions and to initiate proceedings to revoke probation for serious and violent gang members. They can also conduct searches, order drug tests, and require face-to-face meetings with persons under their supervision. Gang members can be ordered to stay away from one another and to stay away from the neighborhood if they do not reside there. Find out who gang members' probation officers are. Press for stringent conditions, and report violations. Use the Power of the Courts and Prosecutor. See Chapter 10 on working with courts and prosecutors. Hold them accountable for taking gangs seriously. Provide Training on Diverse Cultures. Your police department may have few officers with the same cultural background as the gang members in your community. Community policing officers in San Diego, for example, could make little headway against Cambodian gangs until residents worked with them and introduced them to church leaders. Volunteer as a Translator. Residents can provide valuable services as translators for the police, courts, social services, schools, and others. Strategy 3. Improve School Safety and Security If gangs are operating in your schools, take immediate steps to send a clear message of intolerance by using tactics like these: Revise School Rules and Regulations. Work with school officials, parent groups, and students to develop regulations that discourage gangs, drugs, and violence on school grounds. Develop or revise dress codes, prohibiting gang attire. Adopt uniforms. Ban beepers, pagers, and cellular phones from school grounds. Tighten weapons policies. Improve Physical Security. Consider metal detectors, security guards, fences, landscaping, lighting improvements, and student or parent volunteer patrols. No one wants the community school to look like an armed fortress, yet some communities have seen the need for such measures, either as temporary or long-term strategies. For example, metal detectors and uniformed guards are in place at G. H. Braddock High in Homestead, Florida. With 5,000 students, Braddock is one of the largest high schools on the East Coast. The school also has graffiti removal teams, and the students developed their own Youth Crime Watch program, which involves 15-20 influential students with radios patrolling the halls. Principal Jeff Miller at Braddock strongly advocates student involvement in making the school safe and secure. Revise Fire Regulations. Often these regulations require leaving too many doors unlocked, making it easy for gang members (or anyone else, for that matter) to come in and out at will. Train School Personnel. Ask police and community organization staff to provide training for teachers and other school personnel on how to recognize gang signs and symbols and how to use community resources. Other training topics might include drugs, nonviolent educational strategies, or conflict resolution. The Alexandria, Virginia, Police Department held special gang training for teachers and school administrators after a youth was stabbed to death in a gang fight in front of the junior high school. Monitor School Attendance. Use parent or community volunteers to monitor school attendance and call parents of absent youth. In Anaheim, California, police gang officers are involved in attendance monitoring and disciplinary proceedings. The officers review attendance records, contact parents, and participate at attendance and disciplinary hearings with students, parents, and school officials. These officers also link arrested youth to alternative school programs. Advocate for School Resource Officers. These officers are located at the school and often wear several hats. They may respond to trouble on school grounds, develop information about crimes, build positive relationships with students, and lead classroom lessons about gangs, drugs, police work, and other topics. Form a Police/School Gang Response Team. Some police departments train special units to head off, respond to, and de-escalate gang-related incidents on school grounds. Strategy 4. Improve Physical Conditions in the Neighborhood Taking stock of your neighborhood's gang problems includes identifying locations and conditions (poor lighting, litter, abandoned buildings, etc.) that allow gangs to congregate and commit crimes unobserved. You can improve some of these conditions in the short run by holding cleanup days, pushing for improved city services, and taking other direct action. Bring pressure on city officials and businesses to help you install street lighting, tighten public housing screening policies, and enforce lease provisions. Remove abandoned and junk cars, overgrown shrubbery, and public pay phones (or restrict them to outgoing calls only). To effect long-term change, you'll need to determine who "owns" the particular problem. Who is legally responsible for fixing or removing it? Which agency (health department, public works, code enforcement, alcoholic beverage control, etc.) is charged with seeing that owners comply with ordinances, health codes, or other regulations? Police officers responsible for community policing, crime prevention, and crime prevention through environmental design should be able to help by referring you to contact people in the correct agency and by helping you cut through red tape. Civil Nuisance Abatement and Other Civil Remedies. Nuisance laws, noise ordinances, health and building codes, and other civil remedies can be used to require property owners to change the conditions that contribute to the gang problem. Target liquor stores that sell alcohol to underage patrons, tattoo parlors, vacant lots and buildings, residences used as drug houses, and other locations. The city attorney's office in Los Angeles, for example, sends letters to private owners stating the alleged violation and giving the owner a chance to comply voluntarily. The office works with owners who attempt to remedy the situation and pursues legal cases against those who do not. Signs. Encourage the posting of "No Trespassing" and "No Loitering" signs where permitted. Post your own block watch, "No Gangs,'' "We Report Gang Crimes," and other messages that show your resolve to combat gangs. Curfews. Consider lobbying for a curfew ordinance. Ideally, parents and their children together determine and abide by curfews. But in many jurisdictions where there is citizen support, local governments have passed curfew ordinances. These must be carefully drawn to protect constitutional rights. The Dallas, Texas, curfew ordinance is considered a model for several reasons. The need for a curfew was backed by statistics on the level of juvenile crime committed during the proposed curfew hours: the ordinance states an intent to protect children from harm, not simply prevent them from congregating; and the law is narrowly drawn, allowing exceptions for many legitimate reasons. As a result, the Dallas curfew law has passed a series of court tests, and the U.S. Supreme Court recently refused to hear a case challenging that law. Even when a curfew law is carefully constructed, though, there are other important issues to consider. Police must have the resources needed to enforce the law; the law must be enforced consistently and fairly; children will need a safe place to go when parents cannot be found; and there should be some means to hold parents accountable. Strategy 5. Conduct Public Information Campaigns Sponsor Parent and Community Forums on Gangs. Share the information you have gained with a wider audience. Presentations by community leaders, police, and others may be made at regular meetings of existing organizations or at special meetings convened solely to focus on gangs and violence. Encourage Media Responsibility. If you believe that the newspaper or local television and radio news coverage or programming should be more responsible, express your concerns as a group. Meet with editors and reporters. Tell them about the positive steps your neighborhood is taking to combat the gang problem. Encourage them to cover prevention and intervention efforts, not just suppression. Encourage editors to develop guidelines for reporting on gangs. Most news media do not have such guidelines. Printing the names of gangs encourages them by giving them the attention they crave. When newspapers publish the names of victims, they often identify them as victims of gang crimes, leaving them or their family members terrified-sometimes terrorized-as a result. Strategy 6. Provide Youth with Positive Alternatives Take a hard look at the reasons why youth join gangs. A striking number of gang members talk about their gangs as "family," suggesting that gangs offer a substitute for something missing at home. There are no easy answers. Sometimes youth join gangs for protection-they are afraid not to do so. Sometimes the appeal is the excitement represented by the gang lifestyle-quick money, cars, parties, girls, alcohol, drugs. Some children are in gangs because their relatives, including parents or even grandparents, are in gangs. Others feel beaten down by poverty, unemployment, crime, or school failure, and have little hope for a better future. Most gang-involved youth need more than just one thing (a decent recreation center, for example, or even a good friend) to break free of gangs, crime, and drugs. But each small step can help, especially when it is part of a broader, long-term strategy to turn things around. Remember that not every program or approach that sounds good really does good. Collect information about what has been done in similar communities around the country. Ask questions about why various approaches were successful and others were not. (For example, was the idea off base, or was it a good idea that was poorly executed?) Contact the National Youth Gang Center and other resources. (See References.) In this section, we will suggest briefly some approaches that may help meet your community's needs. Tip: Local college or university students may be eager to help. In Racine, Wisconsin, a student research team at the University of Wisconsin, Parkside, Department of Sociology, talked to 500 Racine residents, including gang members, community leaders; police, media representatives, and others. The students' report helped Racine get grants for two youth service projects related to gangs. Provide Direct Services to Gang-Involved Youth. Helping gang-involved youth who have already committed violent or serious crimes is the focus of Project Comin' Up in Fort Worth, Texas, a partnership involving the Boys and Girls Club, Tarrant County Citizen's Crime Commission, and Parks and Community Services. Project Comin' Up identifies the most violent gangs and aims services at individual gang members, with the objective of reducing violent behavior. Another example is the University of Connecticut Institute for Violence Reduction. In addition to providing direct conflict mediation services, the Institute serves youth and family members released from prison and brings college and community college instructors into the community. u Provide Structured, Safe Activities When School Is Out. Communities throughout the country are expanding the use of schools during non-school hours through Safe Havens programs. Activities include sports, tutoring, recreational activities, parent education, and many others. Training to get Safe Haven programs off the ground is available to all cities with Weed and Seed projects. Another example is Urban Art, Ink. This after-school arts program operates at Jefferson High in Denver, Colorado. The neighborhood is a Comprehensive Gangs Initiative target area. Midnight Basketball is a well-known example of how one person can begin to make a difference. Started by G. Van Standeford of Glen Arden, Maryland, it is now a national organization based in Oakland, California, and operates programs in 42 cities. Geared to youth ages 17-25, Midnight Basketball not only offers a safe place to play the game at night, but also includes AIDS education, drug programs, career information, job training, and other services. FORCE (Females Obtaining Resources for Cultural Enrichment) is sponsored by the Boston. Massachusetts, Housing Authority. In seeking to address kids' needs for acceptance, loyalty, and a feeling of family, FORCE offers sports, debate teams, and other activities. Gangs to Clubs in Providence, Rhode Island, provides alternatives to gangs for Southeast Asian youth. Program personnel use older youth to work with younger ones and emphasize listening to the youth and making them part of the solution. Provide Rites of Passage. One of the best known examples here is the House of Umoja, which stresses "the importance of traditional cultural norms of the AfricanAmerican community and instills African-American youths with the life skills necessary to halt self-destructive behavior." House of Umoja, begun by just one family, is now a community-based residential treatment and educational program that occupies 23 row houses in Philadelphia. But meaningful, ageappropriate rites-of-passage programs can be developed on a much smaller scale through the efforts of churches, community-based organizations, schools, parent groups, or individual residents. In addition, some communities bring together Hispanic and African-American youth to talk about cultural differences and similarities. Offer One-on-One Guidance. Organizations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Concerned Black Men, church and religious groups, police youth services programs, colleges, sorority and fraternity alumni groups, and many others match youth with responsible, caring adults for one-on-one friendship, guidance, and opportunities for new experiences. Program examples for gang-involved girls include those operated by Pueblo, Colorado, Youth Services and by Grace Hill Neighborhood Services in St. Louis, Missouri. The federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is currently sponsoring JUMP, an evaluation of mentoring programs. Offer Gang Resistance Curricula in the Schools. One example is the GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training) program. GREAT was developed in 1991 by the Phoenix Police Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), and is now in place in many schools throughout the country. Similar to DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), GREAT offers nine weekly lessons delivered by police officers in the schools, usually at the 7" grade level. Putting It All Together The Ad Hoc Group Against Crime in Kansas City, Missouri, has a long history of community activism to combat drugs, gangs, and violent crime through a combination of cooperation with law enforcement and, more recently, the development of alternatives for youth. Ad Hoc was formed in 1977 when concerned black leaders and residents organized a meeting to discuss the recent murders of nine black women. This was a confrontational meeting, and hundreds of residents showed up to express their anger and fear. It was from this meeting that the grass roots, volunteer-driven Ad Hoc Group Against Crime was formed. Since that time, Ad Hoc has worked on four main objectives: raising community awareness about crime and violence improving relationships between the black community and the police department maintaining a 24-hour Secret Witness Hotline to enable residents to report crimes anonymously forming a community reward fund to offer rewards for crime tips that lead to arrest The proliferation of crack cocaine in the 1980s brought a new emphasis on combating drugs and gangs. Ad Hoc organized "anti-dope house" marches, conducted court watches, commissioned reports on black homicides and other issues, and formed a rape victims' task force. In the early 1990s, Ad Hoc raised the money to hire a small staff. In addition to continuing its direct-action, crime-fighting objectives, Ad Hoc has added several programs for youth, including Youth and Gang Services, which operates a 24-hour youth helpline; Project Redirect, which includes gang awareness, violence reduction training, AIDS awareness, and other components; Project Intercept, which targets middle school youth at high risk for gang involvement and low school achievement; and other programs and services directed at ex-offenders. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 4231 Registered: 5-2001  |
Wow. There is a lot of good info there, Marie. Thank you. | ||
| gj1 Citizen Username: Gj1 Post Number: 259 Registered: 11-2003 |
hmmm...all those recommendations and not a single mention of surveillance cameras. | ||
| marie Citizen Username: Marie Post Number: 1362 Registered: 6-2001 |
ffof, You're welcome. | ||
| Lydia Supporter Username: Lydial Post Number: 1489 Registered: 5-2001 |
Very helpful - thanks Marie Seems like Maplewood is doing some of the initiatives, but not all of them, or simply not following through. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 4536 Registered: 9-2001 |
"hmmm...all those recommendations and not a single mention of surveillance cameras." Surveillance cameras are mostly needed for communities where there are an abundance of wise guys and people who are all talk and no action... That wouldn't be you Gj1, would it? ;-) BTW, thank you for that information Marie, we all have our work cut out for us. | ||
| Lydia Supporter Username: Lydial Post Number: 1492 Registered: 5-2001 |
Art, We have a municipal judge who is a notorious softie. We have kids blocking certain streets with laws already in place that prohibit walking in traffic. We have graffiti that isn't erased for months, and sometimes years. I applaud the steps our town has taken to nip gang activity in the bud, but some of the really simple steps (outlined in Marie's post) should be explored first. Oh yeah, and we should enforce the laws that are already on the books. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 4538 Registered: 9-2001 |
Lydia, I agree we need to do a better job working on our laws already on the books, however, success won't come by just trying one thing at a time. IMHO, and including what I read in Marie’s posting, there are a lot of things needed to be done. I'm in favor of putting as many recommendations into play as possible, ASAP. My strong feelings for CCTV come from years of experience with it in my industry, including first hand experience at my own company. Maplewood has the presence, we’re a target, and with this technology, the police will be able to get a handle on things almost immediately... If we snooze, we lose! | ||
| kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 397 Registered: 3-2005 |
Isn't it rather interesting that the first thing JerryC thinks of when it comes to cameras is how they can be used politically? Nobody has answered Nohero's question. And none of the surveillance camera huggers have answered my direct question to provide any evidence we can all examine that suveillance cameras reduce, not only gang activity, but crime. There is plenty of evidence -- years of it -- that community policing does. And nobody asks Marie why she encourages young people to come to a store that glorifies tagging and swagger in baggy pants across the street from where she knows was a gang-related shooting. Marie, do you still advocate metal detectors for the schools? And how much money did the taxpayers spend defending the schools against a bogus lawsuit brought by your family to force Christmas music on all the students -- money that could have been spent on at-risk youth programs in the schools? Joan has pointed to the right approach to defeating crime and gang influence. A cut-and-paste approach isn't going to work for Maplewood (it hasn't worked anywhere) -- nor are draconian ordinances. Or enforcing speed laws on Ridgewood. (????) Left out of Marie's generic handout (along with any mention of surveillance cameras) is the central role that the punishing war on drugs so beloved by dittohead Republicans has played in creating gang members all over New Jersey -- including Westfield, where Marie now realizes she can't move because of gangs are there, too -- right, Marie? There's no point in denying gangs are in Westfield. The kind of "get tough" measure you and Art and the other town Republicans monotonously and mindlessly beat the drum for have spread gang members everywhere. Follow marie's "gang panic" advice, and we'll excerbate every youth problem we have here, just like the state has done for us throughout New Jersey, and will keep doing unless people realize what's happening and make them stop. And finally, Art, Maplewood is not a repo yard. (Funny stuff, Steel.) | ||
| Lydia Supporter Username: Lydial Post Number: 1494 Registered: 5-2001 |
Kathleen. Your bias against Marie boggles my mind. Marie has been working to stop gangs in Maplewood for years. Marie posted suggestions that are pretty similar to Joan's. Your attacks on Marie are baseless - if you disagree with the lawsuit her husband initiated then bring that up with him. FYI - Women aren't automatically in agreement with their spouses nowadays. You have a posting pattern of making an assumption and working backwards with a blind eye to reality to bolster your argument. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 4540 Registered: 9-2001 |
"Art, Maplewood is not a repo yard." ...not yet Kathleen, but if I ever get my way it will be just as safe as one! The bad guys don’t get in my yards like they do around here. FWIW, I'll answer your questions for you. Surveillance cameras do reduce, not only gang activity, but crime in general. There's also plenty of evidence to prove that it does. However, sometimes there's a "Need to Know" factor. Let me know what it takes to satisfy you and I'll be happy to provide it... BTW, the Republican "get tough" measures beats the Democrats dismal and depressing "Cut and Run" mentality... | ||
| Stevef Citizen Username: Stevef Post Number: 137 Registered: 5-2005  |
There is no evidence. Lies... it's all conservatives have left. | ||
| Duncan Supporter Username: Duncanrogers Post Number: 5267 Registered: 12-2001  |
Kathleen, take your personal rancor out of here please. More often than not, I disagree with Marie and even AJC, but that doesn't mean I don't respect their opinions and perhaps more importantly, their desire to effect change. Why you felt it important to use this stage (or thread) as a place to launch that kind of bitchy, entirely useless attack (as it pertains to this thread) is beyond me. Thanks Marie for the post. There was quite a bit in there that gave me pause. We are certainly not in the category of Detroit or Chicago or even South Boston. And Art, while the new stuff is being debated and or written and or 'be it resolved' the existing 'be it resolved's should be immediately enforced. Got gang tags on the field house, get the cops to find someone who has some community service left to do to paint over it, even in this 15 degree chill. I think the point is well taken that existing laws must needs be enforced and new ones may well be justified (not exclusively camera's or any other single measure) but in the mean time it would do well for the town to get on the ball with some of the exisiting ones. Too often I pass patrol cars parked next to each other in the back lot of the second High School lot on Parker at night. Can they respond to either side of town from there? Sure. But shouldn't they be patrolling? If single ride cars are the norm in town, and it seems they are, then I'll pitch in to get em all nextel connect phones so they can keep the radio free for incoming calls and still talk to someone. (hyperbole for effect) Stevef it is nearly impossible to prove a negative. Art...any statistical evidence linking the mounting of CCTV camera's in a town to its decline in crime would serve. I ask for others on that point, not myself. I am fairly sure that as long as they are operational and used CAREFULLY then why not. For a while there was a State Police cruiser parked between the GSP N and S lanes. It was empty, but its just being there slowed people down. Until the first snow when they didn't come out and clear it off and everyone realized it was a decoy. Or until the everyday drivers got used to its being there. It is too complicated to say its just "lies" and too important to bring personal issues on to this thread. | ||
| Lydia Supporter Username: Lydial Post Number: 1495 Registered: 5-2001 |
I was just reading the November '05 edition of "Mother Jones" - anyhow, an interesting bit on surveillance, cameras, etc. One fact jumped out at me (maybe the whole piece is on their website) From the article: "A Londoner is monitored by some 300 cameras a day. A study found that more street camer4as lead to a 2% drop in crime, while better streetlights lead to a 20% drop." That stat is confirming my hunch that visibility and people keeping their eye on what's going on around them may be the best deterent to criminal activity taking place at all. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 4546 Registered: 9-2001 |
"A Londoner is monitored by some 300 cameras a day. A study found that more street cameras lead to a 2% drop in crime, while better streetlights lead to a 20% drop." All things are relevant. I'd be surprised if we'll have more than three cameras at any one location in town. Also, I don't believe after installing all those fancy streetlights in and around town that we will ever change our street lighting again. Plus the number of people and size of the city creates different security requirements. I feel you’re on the right track Lydia. Thank you, the more things we have going for us the better. BTW, we’re preparing to have our first community committee meeting early next year. I could use some help on a more appropriate name, GOOF just doesn’t make it. More information will be forthcoming soon... | ||
| aquaman Supporter Username: Aquaman Post Number: 615 Registered: 8-2001 |
Art, I nominate: Vigilantes Against Gangs In Neighboring Areas. It's got zazz. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 4548 Registered: 9-2001 |
Well, it's a start and isn't too goofy... ;-) However, I think we need something that will attract our youth, their parents, and others interested in our community... | ||
| Mr. Big Poppa Citizen Username: Big_poppa Post Number: 468 Registered: 7-2004  |
I think aquaman's group would attract a great deal of interest! | ||
| shaun Citizen Username: Shaun Post Number: 51 Registered: 6-2001 |
FWIW, I have no problem with installing cameras around town. pasted the conclusion from within... Generally, the data suggest that CCTV video surveillance is successful in reducing and preventing crimes and is helpful in prosecuting individuals caught in the act of committing a crime. In addition, there may be public law enforcement cost savings. Critics argue that public video surveillance conflicts with the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. These concerns and other related issues are discussed in this paper. http://www.library.ca.gov/CRB/97/05/crb97-005.html | ||
| aquaman Supporter Username: Aquaman Post Number: 616 Registered: 8-2001 |
The second part of that sentence is completely reliant on the first part of that sentence being false. | ||
| kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 398 Registered: 3-2005 |
Duncan, It is not "personal rancor" or "bitchiness" (hey, be a sexist as well as missing the point). It's holding two people accountable -- not only for their constant sensationalism and hyperbole here on MOL -- but for their non-stop partisan activism on behalf of Repubican policies that have had nothing but negative effects on communtieis like Maplewood. I've never even met Marie, but she has been constantly pushing for things like metal detectors and videotaping children and posting misleading information about gangs in Maplewood and its schools. Angry about it? Sure. Why not? It makes more sense to be angry about that than say "Why not?" to the latest feel-good fad about survellance cameras. Marie and Art, both former Republican candidates for the TC, want to dominate the debate about gangs and the policy recommendations. But if you look at the history of what the policies they are selling you have accomplished, you and anyone can see they've all been counterproductive. A lot of the sudden push to "get tough" is based on misleading hype and a too-loose use of the word "gang related" to whip up public demand for policing tactics that are a waste of money and time. There are not "personal" issues. They are political issues. If Art and Marie find themselves personally at the butt end of mockery and and insults, it's because they've spent years of their time hurling verbal abuse at other people -- people who have promoted a positive view of Maplewood and advocated policies of educational and social equity, and the kinds non-discriminatory community policing that there is MOUNTAINS of evidence to show reduces crime and builds stable communities. Marie used to do little else but trash talk the town. Now that she has a business she's moderating her tone and distancing herself from the "bitchy" verbal assaults she used to lodge against Democrats on these boards. But you really do have to ask yourself if Marie's sensationalism makes any sense in light of her actions. And you really do have to ask yourself if you want to once again replicate the failed policies of elsewhere here. Please don't tell me we can't hold Marie responsible for her contradictory words and actions, and her constant politicking on behalf of policies that actucally have verifiably ruinous consequences to America's youth. | ||
| Jonathan Teixeira Citizen Username: Jhntxr Post Number: 263 Registered: 10-2005 |
Marie has been pushing for metal detectors and videotaping children !! You mean little tommy with his size 40 pants strapped just above the knees ? And posting misleading information about gangs in maplewood ? So far Marie has posted the most accurate information on gangs in this country !!! How can someone be filled with so much hatred for another that it blinds them to the point of utter stupidity . Kathleen, when is it going to end ? it's beyond ridiculous now... | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 11294 Registered: 1-2003 |
Kathleen, you contributed usefully to this thread. We should be wary of the things you warn us about. That was until you decided to insult Marie. Marie also has a few useful things to say, even though I disagree with a few of them. But I guess you can't forgive her for what she did in the past, so now you're implying that what she says now is invalid, because of what she's done in the past. That's not only uselessly vindictive, it's also very poor logic. | ||
| gj1 Citizen Username: Gj1 Post Number: 260 Registered: 11-2003 |
Art, I think there were some worthwhile recommendations in maries's post, but my point was that even that rather exhaustive list made no mention of cameras. Joan and Lydia also made some good points. Community action is what will make a difference. Installing surveillance cameras might have some limited impact on crime, but there are other, more effective measures such as better lighting or neighborhood patrols that can be implemented without imposing a great burden on law-abiding citizens. Video cameras only provide the illusion of preventing crime, and there is no real evidence that surveillance cameras prevent crime. From an article on the effectiveness of surveillance cameras in Britain: "Home Office researchers who studied 14 schemes across Britain found that only one had brought a clear fall in the local crime rate. While there was strong public support for CCTV before it was installed, opinion began to shift when people realised the cameras made little difference." "The only one of the 14 schemes found to be a success was targeted at car parks, where it led to a significant drop in vehicle crime. Other schemes in city centres, residential areas and hospitals produced no clear benefits. Professor Gill said that because government funding was available for CCTV schemes, local officials tended to fit the cameras without any clear goal in mind." Some more articles on the effectiveness--or lack thereof--of surveillance cameras: CCTV 'not a crime deterrent' Neighborhood Cameras On The Blink City crime cameras face the axe As for the potential for abuse, which Art seems to think impossible because the cameras are being watched by those empowered to protect us, here are a few instances turned up by a quick Google search: Video Of Suicide In Bronx Housing Project Turns Up On Website. Inquiry into secret filming SF cop who reportedly ogled women is suspended for 9 months Strip traffic camera zooms in on bar-goers; State trooper spokesman says investigation ongoing Art, you also state, "The use of them will help in reducing graffiti, enforcing loitering, littering, speeding, illegal turns, car thiefs, and basically assisting with many of the laws we presently have on the books... ". But wait, I thought this was about gang activity and violent crime. Now you seem to be extending the use of cameras. Is this leading to the constant surveilling of citizens in the chance that they may make the slightest infraction? Some may refuse to admit it, but there is a real danger of proceeding down a slippery slope. It is inevitable that ever more cameras and new technologies will be requested. As more surveillance cameras are installed, the likelihood of abandoning a system decreases. The UK now has over 4 million surveillance cameras and there's already a pilot program in the UK involving audio surveillance in residential areas. For what purpose is this audio surveillance? To reduce violation of noise ordinances. There was also a plan for audio surveillance in public areas in Nashville, but public outcry led to the plans being dropped. As surveillance increases, particularly in the public space, there are some serious risks: loss of spontaneity passivity - accepting anything, lack or fear of protest willingness to obey laws ("Good Citizenship") will be by coercion and fear, not choice | ||
| kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 399 Registered: 3-2005 |
Jonathan, Are you for metal detectors and videotaping children outside the schools? I can't get marie to answer. I think you need to read a little more widely than MOL if you think Marie is posting "the most accurate information on gangs in this country!!!" Here's something to get started: The words of a former coroner in Little Rock, Arkansas, who quit his job when he could no longer stomach the childhood death rate in Little Rock due to gang fights. Here is some of what he now writes: "As our foreign policies draw accusations of imperialism abroad, at home, we may be fiddling while our cities prepare to burn: President Bush is asking for $87 billion to rebuild Iraq while in Los Angeles, children are being shot as they await school buses. The problem isn't localized to L.A., either. Around the country, violent crime is inching toward numbers unseen in America since the late 1980's and early 1990's, or the "decade of slaughter", as I've sometimes called it. "During those years, in Arkansas, I served as coroner to the Little Rock metro area. The job brought me close to the carnage of gang life on a daily basis. Eventually, the sheer emotional toll of dealing with families of dead children drove me to resign. If only to get some kind of closure, I wanted to use what I'd learned in studying death to help the living. This desire led me on an eight-year journey to over 35 states around the country, researching and teaching about the causes and commonalities of juvenile violent crime. I spoke what I knew, having earned a hard-knocks-and-heartache degree on the bloody streets of my hometown, where a soon-to-be President of the United States also lived. "While governor of Arkansas, President Clinton resided with his family in the Arkansas governor's mansion, located squarely between Little Rock's Blood and Crip gang territories. Members of the Clintons' protection staff still recall hearing the gunshots at all hours of the night and day. This is actually how then-Governor Clinton, local folklore holds, came to understand that it takes more than just expanding police forces and building bigger jails to effectively fight crime. Amid the rush to fund operations in the Middle East today however, the Bush administration and both sides of Congress seem to have forgotten this vital societal lesson. ... "As I am writing this, the stock market is as low as I can remember in five years and unemployment is inching upward. In Arkansas recently, Southwestern Bell laid off over 1700 people. The prisons are full, the city and county jails are bulging and President Bush is proposing an aggressive and costly war in the Middle East. "With all of that said where is the money to pay for these things going to come from? More taxes? "No Way!" scream American citizens. It only makes sense that lawmakers will begin foraging through intervention and prevention money like a cow loose on a summer lawn. And this, my friends, is a horrible mistake that will help blood flow in the streets of our neighborhoods. ... "As the military forces pursue the vapor-like terrorists who changed the world on September 11, 2001, politicians are scrambling to re-assess budgets and find money to pay for smart bombs and the like. Do you think this money will be taken from the budgets of police departments and prisons? Or, do you think they might have a tendency to look to intervention, prevention and treatment coffers? "In my travels to over 30 states in the last decade, I have found those communities who are balancing, buck for buck, intervention and prevention with suppression and enforcement; seem to be the ones keeping a check on the youth violence. "Dealing with our changing world will require us to be able to roll with the punches. Nothing stays the same (look at the fact I used to wear five-oh-ones and now I wear ten-oh-twos!). "Collaboration of government, business, faith-based and other groups has never been so important. It is time to sit down, not only with those like us, but with EVERYONE in a community and begin an ACTION plan in earnest. "For those who may have forgotten the ACTION plan that Utah Attorney General Jan Graham designed and I modified slightly to meet more generic needs, here it is: A - AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS C - COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING POLICIES T - TEAMS (SUPPORT) FOR PARENTS I - IN SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND MEDIATION PROGRAMS 0 - ONE ON ONE (MENTORING) PROGRAMS N - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH/ACTION GROUPS | ||
| kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 400 Registered: 3-2005 |
By the way, "Community Oriented Policing Programs" are not "surveillance cameras." And lest anybody think I'm picking on marie's skateboarding customers in size 40 baggy pants, the person I quoted above is an advocate of skateboard parks as an example of the kind of good after-school activity we should be supporting, and I agree. And here is the words of one blogging skateboarder that might make you think twice about the wisdom of the camera huggers: "Recently, a colleague of mine from UNCA surveyed all the merchants listed by the Chamber of Commerce on the issue of the video cameras all over downtown. Her research showed an overwhelming response of negativity toward the "hang-out-downtown" youth, and furthermore, indicated that installing the cameras was a joint decision involving the police and the merchants. Her findings show that the cameras went up to combat the "hang-around-downtown" youth. "Quite frankly, that enrages me. How dare you merchants plot against the very children of your friends and colleagues! Shame on you for inviting Big Brother to watch everyone's every move, just for the sake of a buck. "When I learned of her study, which formed the basis of her report published in UNCA's Journal for Undergraduate Research, I was stunned. I haven't been downtown since. I hope more people will start questioning this issue, because I thought Asheville was an open-minded place to live, a town where I could express myself artistically, and an environment that was liberal. Yeah, right! Thanks a lot for the cameras, merchants. If you stop and compare the camera issue to the graffiti issue (heck, go ahead and throw in the skatepark issue, too) who looks worse? The kids (who may get a little out of hand or burn a joint from time to time) or the merchant-police (in their plot to invade our constitutional right of privacy)?" Skateboarders against cameras, unite! | ||
| kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 401 Registered: 3-2005 |
Tom, If you want to go on listening to marie's sensationalism, so be it. If you want to go on maintaining a double standard about marie's behavior, and holding her insulting attitudes toward others exempt from criticism or response, go right ahead. Don't expect me to credit marie on this subject however. She has consistently worked to make Maplewood a place more hospitable to social decay and community divisiveness. And I mean every word of that. Does it make sense to you that marie would open up a shop for children in an area with major gang problems and then encourage people to let their children go there? Doesn't the mere fact of Marie's skateboard shop, where kids practice tagging and which sells the clothing fashions of hip-hop and the street suggest to you that perhaps Marie's portrait of Maplewood as riddled with gang problems is sensationalized? And don't you think sensationalism is going to lead to wrongheaded policy? | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 11296 Registered: 1-2003 |
I guess it depends on how long you take to forgive someone. Once you forgive her, you might be able to hear what she is saying and separate the good from the bad. At this point, when she says something good, I think you can't hear her. That's not good for anyone. I'm not denying that she has said some bad things. But who hasn't? That doesn't mean everything out of her mouth is trash, does it? You seem to have a world made of black and white. | ||
| kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 402 Registered: 3-2005 |
Tom, Has Marie changed her views or her attitude? And isn't her record of advociating wrongheaded approaches and hyping misleading information long enough to make it important to say: "START THINKING FOR YOURSELVES, FOLKS!" I'm not talking about black and white. I'm talking about looking at the policies supported by Republcians that undermine a community like Maplewood. I'm asking why do you want to follow the lead of the same people who worked overtime to insist upon the war in Iraq, tax favoritism to the rich, the Patriot Act and a shrinking social safety net? Do you think these people have a grip on cause and effect? Aren't you the least bit miffed you are going to have to dig your kid out of a social hole (and good luck doing it) because of the kind of America Republicans have produced for your kid? Why can't you see these policies are fraudulent? How many times do you have to get burned? |
