So much that's discussed today seems to be in some state of disrepair...we talk about BROKEN borders....or we say the educational system is BROKEN and needs fixing to ensure that no child is left behind. We might wake up to find that the car's BROKEN...which will entail shelling out a vast sum of money for some insignificant part which invariably controls everything (and sure to fail again at the worst possible time). We say that government is in need of some serious mending because some of us cannot see the "need" for a war that frees oppressed people while keeping terrorists where they belong...namely in their OWN country, instead of OURS.
But it's so much more than that. What it really is about are broken windows. It's not JUST about the physicality of that phrase...it's also about the metaphorical aspect.
We hate to see a broken window...I know my cats do, especially when some a$$hole tosses a rock through it while I'm watching TV, minding my own damn business. Something about that hole in the glass cries out "get it fixed". Any window that is broken need to be fixed ASAP, because failure to do so will result in greater consequences. First off, a broken window gives ACCESS to your business, or house, or car...that's a no-brainer! It also happens to be the crux of the whole matter. Metaphorically-speaking, if we apply this to something larger...crime for example, we see ramifications reaching long into a future where we will no longer be around to affect change for the better. Many people subscribe to that mindset with this cavalier attitude saying "Why whould I care? I won't be around to worry about it". Nice legacy you're leaving, $hithead!
Whenever I see some child toss a candy wrapper onto a lawn with absolutely NO regard for what they have started, it chills my blood. They have kicked that proverbial snowball down the mountain. By this seemingly innocuous act, they have said to everyone else that it's OK to litter. It escalates from that candy wrapper to a bottle here, or a can there. Then we have wholesale dumping of bags of crap from cars, all the way to "short-dumping" of much larger items, such as furniture or even appliances. ONE small item can have such an effect...and oft times does.
With crime, the results are much more severe (and often fatal). When "harmless" crimes such as littering or noise violations go uncited (or even unoticed), it says (again) to the community that if they allow THIS...I wonder what ELSE I can get away with. Don't fool yourself into thinking people act otherwise...they DO'N'T...and they WILL. If it's all right to "get away" doing the small things, the escalation factor increases exponentially, and this is especially true in inner city neighborhoods where SO many people don't give a damn in the first place, and are rarely held accountable for their actions. Soon, we're looking at strongarm thefts...then business thefts (such as the heinous attack of the clerk on Dupont Rd last week), then home break-ins and car break-ins. After that, we evolve into car thefts, carjackings, armed robberies, rapes, and eventually to homicide (because even the most petty crime can get real ugly, real fast these days).
Fort Wayne has a $hitload of "Broken Windows", no doubt about it. Having the community pray about it won't make it go away. Neither will ignoring it (which actually CAUSED it in the first place), or walking on eggshells when dealing with it (as seems to be the case today). Perps KNOW when a community is "at risk"...think of it as vultures knowing that animal will die soon enough, providing sustinence for the feathered masses waiting for that expiration. The whole "Broken Window" theory isn't new....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_broken_window
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixing_Broken_Windows
http://weblogs.asp.net/rosherove/archive/2003/07/29/10626.aspx
And that's the tip of the icebeg...
Personally speaking, I feel that this city has more than broken windows...we have broken doors, broken plumbing, broken electrical and broken HVAC (metaphorically-speaking that is). We're not only a gateway to the midwest, we're a gateway for crime, and the manner in which I have seen the law-enforcement agencies react mirrors it. It's NOT about those in uniform on the streets...it IS about the "admins" failing to be creative or even proactive. Law-enforcemnt does not have to be a completely "incident-driven" venue. Maybe that's why we're seeing such a rise in violent crime....it's due to agency big-wigs pandering instead of arresting. It's ass-kissing instead of convicting. Sure we have the occassional good bust (which in many ways serves to play to the media and populace saying 'look what we're doing'), but with SO much crime to go around, we sure should be seeing a lot more "bang" for our bucks.
And I have to again use my neighborhood as a shining example on how "broken" things are. Yesterday, I counted TWENTY-ONE boomcars thumping through the area (0900-2330),and they were ONLY those passing the house REALLY LOUD, and not the overall "heartbeat" the neighborhood develops every year at this time. I did NOT see one patrol car all day (heard a lot of sirens, though). We have a huge number of speeders zoom down he street. I did NOT see one patrol car. WE had guys on "crotch-rockets" (cafe bikes to the initiated) zip all over (some with NO plates). I did NOT see one patrol car. I trust you're seeing a pattern here. Not one bit of proactivity.
Now WHY am I NOT seeing patrol cars in an area that has SO MUCH to offer in the way of citations? I like to call it POLITICS....and that is about the MOST BROKEN aspect of this city. The politics that used to protect all citizens equally is in need of repair...desperately. It can be fixed, but the longer the wait...the more difficult the repair. This is not one of those things that will fix itself should we ignore it, which has apparently been the case over the time I have lived here. I have seen little (if any) real progress to repair any "window" in or around our neighborhood, let alone the city. Before any real revitalization can take place, this needs to be brought to the political table with plenty of the right questions being asked.
Besides, HOW MANY band-aids must they keep placing on a compound fracture before they "think" it healed?
1 comment:
You're right about the politics thing.
Politicians don't want to lose their lifestyle that they gained once they were voted into office, so they try to appease the lobbyists and the larger voter base to keep their position, which grants them freebies and allows them to vote themselves raises every year.
Then they become friends with the police departments and it just keeps trickling down...
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