Re: [Lockwood] Solicitor Tuesday Afternoon

Just as an FYI, any time you see someone soliciting in the neighborhood that you aren't 100% certain is legitimate, it's good to call 911 to have them checked out, according to our neighborhood police officer. But* please also* post to the list, with as much detail as possible about both appearance and behavior, as it's very helpful when they return the following day to try a different story one street over! I understand Bridgette's reaction, because of course we all know that young black men face undue suspicion in their everyday lives, and I think Keith has done a nice job of explaining why he was uneasy with the man who appeared on his doorstep. White, black, and brown folks have all been caught breaking into homes in this area, and the economy is drawing more people to illicit means of making ends meet, so *anyone* unfamiliar should be looked at carefully. Remember that about half of the folks at our community watch meeting last summer had experienced a break-in during the time they've lived in our neighborhood, myself included. When you've had a cab driver stabbed to death in front of a house on your block, and two people walking through the neighborhood shoot a man in his car a few streets over, it's both natural and wise to be wary of strangers knocking on your door even a few years later. (But the relative rarity of such incidents today is a great indicator of how much better the area has become since we formed the neighborhood watch!) What all of this says to me is that we must continue reaching out to get to know everyone in the community by face, if not by name. When we have more confidence in our ability to recognize who is out of place--and we easily recognize others as a particular neighbor's adult child or family friend or cousin--we are all safer. Events like the recent post-tornado block party also go a long way toward building a strong community. (I know that where I grew up, plenty of people got into trouble, but they went outside their own neighborhoods to do it, because it was too easy for someone to call your grandmother or otherwise identify you! Likewise, when people from outside the community see that neighbors here introduce themselves to unfamiliar faces and ask where you live, etc., they tend to choose a different area to target for crimes.) By the way,* would anyone like to volunteer themselves (or their neighbor) to take over the leadership duties for our Neighborhood Watch?* I've had a hard time getting meetings scheduled since going back to work full time, and if someone else can do more, I'd be glad to hand over the reigns! Contact me off-list and I can share more about what's involved. Your friendly (albeit neglectful) neighborhood watch captain, Rebecca On Wed, May 30, 2012 at 12:38 AM, Keith Emrick <keith.emrick(a)gmail.com>wrote;wrote: