omar
Newbie
Posts: 18
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Post by omar on Nov 15, 2006 12:15:23 GMT -5
Hi all I want to encourage you to attend tonight's WPNPC public safety meeting tonight at 6pm at the bath house (904 Washington Blvd) and bring your concerns. ... This meeting is held the 3rd thursday of every month. Is this meeting really tonight (wednesday)? Or is it also on Thursday night like the one at sliders?
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Post by Bill E on Nov 15, 2006 12:33:14 GMT -5
Two meetings are being discussed:
Wed Nov 15th meeting is at 6pm at WPNPC/Bath House (904 Wash Blvd) and is the regular community public safety meeting for residents and various related officials. There will (as always) be representatives from the local police, State's Attorneys office, etc.
Thu Nov 16th meeting is at 7:30pm at Sliders bar/grill (across from Camden) and is a resident led effort to discuss the recent events, possible actions, solutions, etc.
If people can make both, I would advise to.
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lauren
Community Activist
Posts: 54
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Post by lauren on Nov 15, 2006 21:29:09 GMT -5
So sorry to hear about your foot Miranda!! I hope you recover quickly, that sounds painful!!
Thanks for the reminder about the meeting tonight (Wed), but unfortunately I'm out of town for work tonight. Can someone please post a recap of that meeting for those of us who couldn't attend??
I plan on attending the Thursday meeting.
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Post by Carol Ott on Nov 16, 2006 17:44:25 GMT -5
I can't attend tonight's meeting (Thursday) -- I realised this morning that I have a lot more work to do before my inspection tomorrow. Could someone post a recap of tonight's meeting, too?
Thanks!!
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Post by markm on Nov 18, 2006 8:12:32 GMT -5
An update on the street signs in Camden Crossing. There is now a sign for Ryan street at the corner of Ryan and Ramsay.
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Post by Carol Ott on Nov 18, 2006 17:10:25 GMT -5
As there should be! Bravo!
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lauren
Community Activist
Posts: 54
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Post by lauren on Nov 21, 2006 8:41:44 GMT -5
Just saw this message posted on the pigtown safety yahoo group page and thought I'd cross post it here in case some of you don't follow that website. At our last meeting people mentioned wanting to have one central link where all the crime is reported (besides to the authorities of course). Not sure we decided where that will be yet, but for now I'll post it the message here as well. I left the poster's information and the exact address of the theft off of this quote since this board is open to the general public.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crime Alert: In case this information is helpful, I wanted to pass along that one of our neighbors on the 500 block of Scott Street was burglarized this afternoon, Monday 11/20. A thief (or thieves) shattered the glass pane in the backdoor at (a house in the 500 block of) Scott Street when no one was home, probably between Noon -3, and stole various electronics: laptop computers, a digital camera, iPod, etc. The house has an alarm, but it is unknown whether the alarm was armed at the time. A police report was filed. At this time there are no known witnesses.
This burglary follows a number of other recent break-ins that have come to my attention in Barre Circle, Camden Crossing, and other parts of Pigtown. We would be wise to be extra vigilant in looking out for each other, and reporting suspicious actions & people to 911 or 311.
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Post by firefly on Nov 21, 2006 11:26:44 GMT -5
I was thinking that there are several businesses that are adjacent to what I think is Ramsey street and the side of Scott Street that seems to be hit with all the burglaries. Whenever I go through that area there are people around working. I can't believe that no one has noticed anyone around in these areas that could provide some leads. I wonder if these are random burglaries by different people or a couple individuals working together.
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Post by Carol Ott on Nov 21, 2006 16:14:02 GMT -5
I assure you that if I, or anyone from Magnum Construction, or the liquor store next to me, or the bank, or the drycleaners....saw anything suspicious, we would have called the police immediately. It's not good business to allow your neighbours to become crime victims if there's something you can do to prevent that.
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Post by Carol Ott on Nov 28, 2006 17:07:32 GMT -5
There's an article in today's Baltimore Sun about a shooting in South Baltimore -- it was in Federal Hill by Catholic Community School. I'm wondering if the suspects were also involved in the robberies around this neighbourhood....? Luckily they were stupid...so they're all behind bars.
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Post by fourknots on Nov 30, 2006 7:49:15 GMT -5
I'm posting an update on my original post.
After my son was attacked on Halloween and my wife verbally assaulted in Barre Circle on the way home from UMB, I wrote a letter and sent it to the mayor, the police chief, and the UMB president. My point was that A) Crime seemed to have spiked in the Washington Village area, B) The university (and hospital) stands to lose some talent if there is no safe place to live nearby, and C) Between our taxes, local spending and university tuition, we contribute a lot of money to the area.
A few days after I sent it, we recieved a very nice email from a representative of the university president who also lives on Scott St. It expressed sympathy for my wife, who, because she is going through a very intensive accelerated program, doesn't have the energy to spend on looking over her shoulder and constantly worrying about her son's safety. It suggested attending the local meetings, which we will very soon when our schedule fits.
Yesterday, I received a visit from two police officers at my door regarding the letter to the mayor. Apparently, such letters cause quite a fire storm. I believe there are some pointed questions asked of the police about why they are unable to control the perceived crime spike and it travels all the way down the chain. Which is good. The officers were very nice and also suggested attending the local meetings as well as the ones at the Southern district station (Cherry Hill) on the third Thurdsday of the month (third Wednesday next month due to the holidays). When I asked about the crime spike, they said that there was no real increase in our area (Scott St and Barre Circle). The real problem areas are to the west in Washington Village (Cleveland St, Hamburg, etc.) and last year they actually set up a command post there for a month or two. They also said that Federal Hill and Cherry Hill have seen some significant increases lately.
They gave me some suggestions for preventing home robberies (bars, lights, dog, all of which I have) and believe that walking down Scott St. from Pratt is safer than walking by the pocket parks in Barre Circle where my wife was assaulted. Finally, they gave me their cards and told me to call with problems or concerns. All very nice, but it was apparent that there was nothing new that was going to be done in the area, at least not right away.
But the good news is that the letters got the attention of the people that need to know about the issues here. Letters (actual paper letters, not just emails) to the right people might direct attention and resources our way. I think the solutions are to attend the meetings so you know what is going on and can make suggestions, get to know your neighbors, call 911 when you see a problem (both officers said that it is better to call 911 if you're not sure then to not call and wish you had), and get to know your local cops.
If you look at the example of the UMB police, crime is virtually non-existant there because, as the officers told me, they don't spend time investigating huge amounts of crimes and there are LOTS of officers. More is better and until the area is more revitalized, that may be what we should encourage. More patrols and a temporary command post in trouble spots would certainly help.
One more area that they mentioned as an aside: They can arrest hundreds of bad guys, but if the courts put them right back on the street without punishment, crime will not slow down.
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Post by rob231 on Nov 30, 2006 9:47:30 GMT -5
That is great, as least they are showing some sort of response. I think it is important that we report any type of criminal or nuissance activity. Even if they (city/police, etc) are slow or ineffective at addressing things, it at least gets reported and included in the statistics, which, in theory, would provide additional justification for more patrols.
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Nicole
Barre Circle
Posts: 246
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Post by Nicole on Nov 30, 2006 17:06:31 GMT -5
But the courts are releasing people because there is not enough evidence to do anything with them after the arrest. The statistic I keep hearing on NPR is that there are 70 arrests a day (a day!) in the city for which there is not enough evidence to charge the person with anything. Nevermind convict - they aren't even charged with anything.
Anyway, I'm glad you got some response from your letter.
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Post by Carol Ott on Nov 30, 2006 20:04:16 GMT -5
Rob is right -- report, report, report! The officers were telling the truth -- if you look at the crime map, there are no spikes in crime in our neighbourhood...which leads me to believe that either people aren't reporting the crimes to the police, or they're not telling their neighbours. But when something doesn't look/feel right -- CALL 911 immediately and report it. Give as much information as you can, and insist that an officer be dispatched, if you think the situation warrants it.
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Post by 335scott on Dec 5, 2007 13:36:18 GMT -5
Hello, I live at 335 Scott street, where the robbery occurred on November 20th. I had no idea there were robberies taking place in our neighborhood until it was too late. I was at home (alone), during the day, the weeks prior to the break-in, and found a man prying at our side window with a crow bar, attempting to break in. I banged on a nearby window, hoping to scare him off, and called the police. I waited in my closet, holding mace, until the police arrived shorty later. Fortunately, his attempt was unsuccessful that time. I moved all of my valuables out of my house because I knew he would be back. Unfortunately my room mates did remove their valuables and when his break in was successful on the 20th, their belongings were stolen. I am in the process of completely moving out because I no longer feel safe. I would not recommend this area, as a place of residence, to anyone. Be aware of your surroundings and I hope no ones safety is harmed in the future.
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