Starting out with a premise, "there's a crime wave in UC", then asking
people to relate anecdotes, "he said-she said" and "I heard that
such-and-such happened at such-and-such a place" is nothing more than a self
fulfilling prophecy, where anything that fits the premise is reported as
fact. If ten different people (none of whom actually witnessed the event)
relate various erroneous versions of the same incident (you know,
"whispering down the lane") that could be misinterpreted as ten different
incidents, hence a "wave". Get the facts, not anecdotes, before claiming
something as potentially damaging as a "crime wave'.
Karen Allen
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [email protected]
Subject: Re: UCD crime increase
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 19:17:23 EST
In a message dated 1/17/05 6:59:37 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>
> Yes, please, let’s lead with facts. If there is a problem, then the
Phila
> Police, UCD and others can be mobilized easily to address it in an
effective
> manner.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On Behalf Of I. Milton Karabell
> Sent: Monday, January 17, 2005 6:46 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected]
> Subject: Re: UCD crime increase
>
> It might be useful to assemble some facts before labeling it a "wave".
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [email protected]
> Sent: Monday, January 17, 2005 5:06 PM
> Subject: Re: UCD crime increase
>
> Forwarded by request.
>
> In a message dated 1/16/05 1:10:26 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>
> Hi Bruce,
>
> I'm working on a story for the University City Review
> about the recent wave of crime that appears to be
> occurring in the University City area.
>
> Could you please foward this message to the purple
> list and let subscribers know that if they have
> witnessed crimes or have particular questions or
> concerns that they would like addressed that I would
> be happy to speak with them and work on getting
> responses from the University, UCD and police...
> Mindy Ehrhart
>
I agree with Milton & Tom. I think communication has improved to the
point
where we are much more aware of incidents. I don't think that that
necessarily means there are more incidents. I would tell the Review
writer to check
with the UCD first, and then, IF there is a "crime wave," we can figure out
how
to address it, but everything I've seen coming out of the UCD's office has
shown continual decrease in crime.
Ten years ago or more, the Daily News devoted its entire front page one day
to a sensationalist story headlined "University City: Crime Moves In."
It
was no more than a series of anecdotes told by a writer who had looked at
houses in our neighborhood, but had not quite been able to afford to buy
here. I
think she was a little bitter. Most people in the neighborhood were very,
very angry to see her blow up a few incidents into such a big, negative and
exaggerated story. Then there was the Sunday when a former Penn police
chief was
quoted in a big story in the Inquirer saying that crime got worse block by
block, the farther you went from the campus. Not true, as we all know!
But
the READERS didn't know it, and it did a lot of damage.
Let's not repeat these headlines if it isn't really true!
Melani Lamond
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