Hi Reinmar (is that your first name?) Thank you for writing this email. I've actually wanted to write something along these lines for ages but didn't because I'm involved in the Obsid and didn't want to seem like I was patting myself on the back.
But yes, I feel safer at night and I love the fact that the negative nancies who told us that the taggers would "come back and tag your freshly painted walls overnight" have been proven completely wrong... To me this says more than anything that we've managed to subtly change the atmosphere to something more positive and move civil. It's still a long journey but we're heading very much in the right direction! j. ps. The people involved in the Obsid do a very hard and often very frustrating and difficult job. If anyone has time and energy and wants to make Obs a better place I really would encourage you to get involved. On 21 January 2011 11:44, Reinmar <[email protected]> wrote: > I know this will probably be a long read, but I thought about it this > morning as I was lying in bed at 04:15 and couldn’t sleep, and thought > to myself that I had to write this > > I would like to relay my story of what I have seen happening in > Observatory in the past 4 years since we moved into our house in > Oxford Street. > > 4 Years ago my (now) husband & I bought a house in Oxford Road and we > were very excited about the purchase. We moved in, and from the word > get go you would walk in the streets in the mornings before sunrise > and see litter, glass shards, broken car windows Graffiti were > everywhere and Obs looked untidy. I subscribed to the OBSNW & OCA > google groups and everyday would come to work and read of another > house, car or something else happening in the suburb, and was > wondering if this was really the right decision to move to > Observatory. > > We prevailed and said things would get better. I remember standing on > our balcony one morning and seeing a person break into a car right in > front of me, and he looked up, laughed at me and walk away (luckily? > with nothing). I couldn’t phone anyone, so I couldn’t do anything. > We also had our share of attempted break-ins, which was luckily? > (again) stopped by our front wall creeper catching alight. The fire > was stopped by neighbours, which we are extremely thankful for. > > Then things started to happen. Firstly the ADT Oxford Rd bicycle > patrol came and crime did get better for the affected area, but things > were still bleak for the rest of Obs. Then one day I received a form > in my postbox for the application for the OBSID. I signed immediately > and hoped that it would go through Council. The OBSID formed and more > things started to happen. Security came into the streets, streets got > cleaned, graffiti got painted over. Plants started appearing on the > streets, pavements and gutters were clean, houses were clean, and it > started feelings safer. > > Now, when I come into work and read the emails from the Google Groups, > there are little or some days even no e-mails about crime, and more > about the betterment of the whole Observatory as a suburb. When > something happens in the streets, you know that you can immediately > phone Vetus Schola and the SAPS and someone will arrive shortly. > > Yes, there are still issues, and there will always be, but the idea of > this letter is to show what has been done in the past 4 years, since > I’ve been staying in Observatorty. > > For that and that alone I have to thank everyone involved and all the > residents of Observatory for making the suburb so special. Things can > only get better. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Observatory Neighbourhood watch" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/obsnw?hl=en. > > -- Jonathan Endersby Connect. Share. Trust. www.trustfabric.com +27 82 414 3129 www.arbitraryuser.com tfid: arbitraryuser You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. - Dr Seuss -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Observatory Neighbourhood watch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/obsnw?hl=en.
