I do not want to minimize the importance of having a fully staffed police force. But, it will not save the Northside from the crime even if we add 100 more cops. The cops we have now ARE arresting people. Time after time after time after time. Some criminals that citizen advocates are tracking through court watch have over 200 arrests. They just never seem to go to jail and if they do, it's a short visit.
The poster child criminal that citizen advocates in Phillips have been using to make their points to whoever will listen finally got busted one too many times. On his last arrest he had already been trespassed from the area he was in and had just been let out on bail from another offense. On his final offense he was arrested for bashing in someone's windshield with a baseball bat. While the car owner was in the car. With his lengthy criminal record and history of violence he only got 19 months in jail and with good behavior will be out in 13. This he only got because the court watch volunteers were vigilantly tracking him and County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin took the time to write a community impact statement. There is some sort of criminal offender point system that would have put him in jail longer but he was one point short of the number needed. Based on this guys criminal history I cannot imagine what the criminal would be like that actually accumulated enough points to get a stiffer sentence. Ridding the criminal element from your block takes a very long time. It's damn near a full time job. The steps you go through to get rid of a crack house are daunting even for the most formidable crime fighters. And, it's scary. Being threatened by the drug dealers whether they are serious or not is very disconcerting. I am under have no false hopes that I am going to save anyone from drug addiction or sway them away from criminal behavior. My only goal when they arrive on my block and set up shop is to move them out as quickly as possible so my neighbors and I can exist here with some semblance of peace and security. My history has been that it takes months to remove the residents of a crack house and a lot of work and communication. And during that time, livability is seriously challenged. The response I get from people when I tell my "war stories" is why don't you move? Most vocal are my friends and family who have no clue what it is like to live with this stuff. That theory is just plain flawed in my book. Why should I move? Are people saying that it is acceptable to have certain parts of town designated as crime containment zones? If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen? That thinking is ludicrous. If all the law abiding citizens of these crime infested areas just packed up and split what positive purpose would that serve to this city? The answer is none. Barb Lickness Whittier ===== "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
