Bad news
Well close to the end of the week, heading into the weekend, the news in Truxton was, well, bad. There had been some daytime shootings over near 3rd and P and around First Street. What the hey is going on? I have no idea. A fair number of theories, but no answers.During this lovely weekend, I did see a very active police car making the rounds around Bates and 1st. First I saw the car, with two cops, break up a street game of catch. About 5 minutes later, after the car left, the kids/ young adults were back at it. Then I saw the same car cruising up and down 1st. I last saw it in the park at 1st and Florida where the bums hang out. When I passed by the area later the hanger outs were back to business as usual, hanging out, with a little hand dancing going on as well.
Is it increased police presence because of what happened? I don't know. But it is always good to see the police making the rounds. It is even better to see them get out of the squad car.
posted by Mari @ 31.7.05
5 Comments:
You know, I finder it harder to call the cops on the drug dealers on the corner when they are, in fact, my neighbors. Especially as I am the only guy for a block who ever calls the cops on anyone.
Why is it, by the way, that all the neighborhood oldtimers never call the cops? I mean, a drunk guy sideswipped a couple of cars, and my girlfriend got yelled at for being a "snitch" when she called the cops on the guy. What's wrong with this picture?
I feel you.
If you are the only newcommer to the block than it is hard. Disappointing dealings with 311 and sometimes 911 can wear one down to just not bothering. It helps to keep an eye out for other newbies to the hood and try to create your own phone tree. With oldtimers it helps to start off with something like trying to get some folks on your block to call the city to get trashed picked up. In that you might could see who might be willing to add to the calls to something more serious than a broken street light.
I know there are exceptions, but alot of the "old-timers" or long-time residents of this area's apathy is part of the reason things have gotten as far as they have. If people accept this type of behavior as normal or acceptable, then it will continue. We pay taxes & have a right to live in a decent community.
As for calling 3/911...keep doing it, non-stop, when needed. But I wouldn't be public about it. Word might get out & you could become a target, or at least an outcast.
Yeah, that too. Also it's okay to lie about calling the cops. Practice these phrases:
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I was out/busy/sleeping, so it wasn't me."
"You're just assuming, and you know what they say about assuming."
"Huh?"
Sometimes I call the cops and let others know because I want support.
Sometimes I call the cops and I keep it to myself. When calling 311/911 you can decide to give a call back number, or not. You might want to make the call back number your untracable (not in the phone book) cell.
Everyone has the right to live in a safe environment but we all have to work at it my encouraging positive actions by our neighbors, demanding accountablity and results from our government, and using our clout as consumers & citizens to promote or close certain businesses.
When we first moved in, we were calling the cops all the time with the thinking that "we paid good money to live here and have just as must a right to a kinder community as the kids who drop f-bombs loud enuogh to be heard at the other end of the block and smoking weed on the corner". Others did not agree. At our first open house with tons of guests over, "someone" threw a brick at our door. So apparently the calls aren't annonymous? Either way, I think we had to figure out what we could live with and what we couldn't. We now know the neighborhood kids from those passing through but I have to say that it's hard to know who's trouble and who's not when it's 10pm on a school night and the kids are still hanging on the corner. Is that guy 16 or 26 and why are cars stopping and going so much? So now we call the cops only if the plates are non-district or if people are blatantly hanging out, drinking and littering. I'm not sure if we were scared into calling less now or just trigger happy when we moved in, but it's a very delicate balance of being cautious but not overly suspicious of good neighbors.
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