Hi MPNA - Julianne here from the "22nd Ave Gang" contingent of the
neighborhood and I'd like to make a plea towards getting people out for the
Neighborhood Walk next Friday (June 21st, meet at 8:00 at Wes Brewer's,
under the US flag, in the alley behind 100 -20th Avenue East)...Here's the
thing, as the self appointed anti-crime crackpot (pun intended), I can
report from the frontlines that the activity is WAY up, as is typical of the
summer months, and collectively we as a neighborhood need to keep
representing that we are AWARE AND ACTIVE AND DETERMINED.

Jim Compton, City Councilman in charge of "Public Safety" is going to accompany us, and
we need to consistently and loudly send this message that we're fed up with
the situation, we're willing to actively participate in addressing it, and
we will do so in orderly, law-abiding ways, and the City needs to not only
recognize the crime problem but to also acknowledge that as our public
officials, they need to match our commitment and concerns and dedicate the
energy and resources to resolving it....

*The walks last about one hour and we are accompanied by Police Officers.
It's a safe and low maintenance way to literally stand up and be counted.
There's the added bonus of meeting and chatting with new folks and the usual
suspects, "Neighborhood Networking" if you will....

*If you hadn't noticed, our City Council and the Mayor's Office historically
are at odds. It's an interesting situation, and as it stands, both parties
have about equitable "power". It is the nature of our City government that
the relationship between the Council and the Mayor's Office is often
contentious, and it is up to us to send any message with equal force to
representative of both...I'm hoping the Mayor is "getting it" by now, and
it's important the Council does, too...

*The walks have been dwindling in numbers since last summer's inception.
The winter weather and the general malaise seemed to have gotten the best of
us all. I'm hardly a Saint, my work schedule interferes more times than
not. It will send the unfortunate and actually damaging message if we don't
have "Bodies" out there to walk. If we're loudly asking the City for
consistent and determined action, we need ourselves to be consistent and
determined. If we have a Councilman present, we need to have the
constituents present...Perhaps, for every man, woman, and child that shows
up to walk, we may get one more Police Officer's shift assigned to this
neighborhood. Quid Pro Quo.