[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I and other list members attended the third precinct meeting about how to write neighborhood action plans for requests from the NRP Million dollar Police fund.WM: Jeez, Scott, that was a throw away line. Besides which, it's too far ahead of the curve to make a full court press successful at Lake and Chicago.
I see some good things happening out of this but I just can't help noting how truly odd this process is.
I don't know which is the best metaphor - Alice in wonderland, Superman's Bizarro World, or the Emperors new clothes. I was thinking maybe Superman's Bizarro world where everything is the same but different was the most apt analogy, but I think the Emperor's new clothes is best.
Basically the NRP, Police, and neighborhood folks spent the evening talking about our preferences of the Emperor's outfit.
Wizard wanted just the Hat (fix up Chicago and Lake)
Barb Lickness wanted the outfit to fit tighter (fit the NRP strategies)WM: The process is all encompassing, but it still only amounts to four FTE officers in the streets for the entire 3rd precinct from May 1st until the end of this year. That's what 1/5th of a million means. Not much. My area, (Lake St and surrounds from Chicago to the freeway) could easily use all four 24/7/365 until the Sears site is up and running smoothly and beyond. Face it, the Inspector/Commander of the 3rd Precinct said it was a way not to have to lay off 4 more officers in the 3rd, the biggest precinct in the city.
Bob Miller gave a speech about the extra pair of Pants that could come with the outfit (how two neighborhoods could get $ 50,000 more by working together, {but changing the hours that equal those dollars won't occur})
I asked about when the emperor gets dressed (basically we are making decisions about something that has already in place)
The woman next to Wizard asked how do we judge how good the fabric is? ( who decides the quality of the outfit?)But this whole time we all see and know that everyone else sees that the emperor is wearing no clothes.
By the time we write an action plan with an April first deadline, all the decisions will be made. We have three sets of bureaucracies playing this out like it is somewhat real, but it isn't.
I think it is great that we are working with the Third Precinct to set priorities and work together and there will be good things that come out of this, but this process is very strange.
The mayor has committed the NRP cardinal sin, using NRP money to replace monies lost due to politics. He managed to make his case to the NRP Policy Board. That case appears to have included that any police activities used by the 4FTE must be tied to an NRP goal and strategy, though Bob Miller said, I think, that he's willing to be squishy on strategy.
At the same time, I'm grateful for the additional officers and if this summer is anything like last summer, I'll be more than grateful for any help we can beg, borrow, or steal. The fire bombing of Tykoon Records pushed me over the line.
WizardMarks, Central
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