07 October 2008

The Decline And Fall - Part V...
It should come as no surprise to us when we hear about someone getting shot (and sometimes killed) over some dumb-ass drug deal. In many ways, we've become desensitized to many aspects of this part of society.
We could blame that on the drug culture of the 1960s, and we'd only be partially right.
What we can really blame it on is peoples ability to make wrong decisions, and their avoidance to take any type of personal responsibility. We can also blame the judicial system for the lack of accountability when it comes to trying to "rehab" these people.
No one can tell me that someone FORCED some illegal drug into these users' lungs, down their throats, or into their veins.
That dog ain't gonna hunt with me.
These users are looking for an EASY way out of their problems. It's more than merely a "recreational" thing to them. And to the pushers, it's ALSO an EASY way out...of poverty...or so they think. The labor under the misconception that the easy buck will solve any and all of their problems. They fail to challenge themselves to become productive members of the citizenry. They pay no taxes. They are often "ganged up" and that creates a whole other set of issues regarding a false sense of "family".
But EASY is rarely the best way out of any situation. Sometimes you have to fight, scrape and scratch your way along life's road in order to achieve. They just can't conceive of such "nonsense".
Drugs have been around for a helluva long time, whether they were medicinal or illegal in nature. It's only recently (within the past fifty or so years) that the synthetic/chemical additions to the list have been added, and we can thank such notorious people as Timothy Leary for that. Better living through CHEMISTRY...and the ruination of society in the process.
Hell of a legacy, don'cha think?
Here in Fort Wayne, we, like many other cities with some type of sizable urban area have a drug problem...and it's multi generational in nature. And while the city thinks they're dealing with it as well as possible, they, also like their larger urban counterparts are losing the war on drugs. Sure the police win a skirmish here, or a battle there, but the war does not go well...even after all these decades of "fighting" it.
On ANY given day, in neighborhoods across our city, that used to be replete with children playing, neighbors waving "hi", and working-class people earning a living. you can see a drug deal going down. Mostly these areas are located on the SOUTH side of town, and with good reason. It's where the largest concentration of minorities and "poverty-stricken" people have been led into.
Meticulously, and with a guile unrivaled, the city made it possible to allow many of the "wrong" people to inhabit this part of town, and by the wrong people, I mean those whose only agenda is to make sure the drug trade thrives by any means possible.
As a result, this part of town has become a lot less livable over the years, and a lot more like a battleground. People fight for drug turf. Who will be allowed to sell what to whom, and where the best areas are to deal.
Now I can say that the proliferation of drug traffic HAS been on the increase over the last decade. You used to see a lot of traffic at a house. Well, we still DO see that, but we're now seeing the "drive-up" buys. I've spoken at length about these in past posts, including pictures of the perps. Sometimes, they get caught. Too often, they get away scott-free.
And whether it's a "busy" corner, or a street that is frequented by drug dealers in their "thugmobiles", one thing is certain; It's not going away anytime soon.
It would probably shock the hell out of you to find out HOW MANY people in this city are USING illegal drugs regularly (whether it's recreational or not). Let's just say that a conservative number would be about 40% (with a fudge factor of + or - 5%).
That's some serious numbers, folks. The lawyer up the block in your nice part of town could be that nose-candy fiend, or maybe it's that office manager that doing the meth to meet all his deadlines. Maybe its even that teacher toking a doobie on the weekend to "relax".
Whatever the case, this city DOES have a problem.
And the problem WITH this problem, is that more problems come THAT problem.
Sounds confusing, but it's really not.
With drugs come all the other things we've come to "enjoy", such as loud music, littering, public urination, gunfire, reckless driving, along with a blatant disregard and disrespect for anyone and everything within the druggies' "sphere of influence".
You and your family don't mean a damn to these people. And the proof is in the number of innocents killed as "collateral damage" in a deal gone bad, or a gang-related hit on a rival pusher.
But if you know of the BP station at McKinnie & Anthony, you're already aware of such things like the shootings there.
Life gets REAL cheap...REAL fast, whenever drugs get involved.
As to all the TYPES of drugs coming into Fort Wayne (with annoying regularity), they can be found at THIS site:
http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs0/660/overview.htm
**Unfortunately, the statistics are not AS RECENT as they should be (2001), but rest assured, they are accurate.
You can see the fallout from illegal drugs at THIS site:
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/incrime.htm
And if you want to see most of the crimes occurring in your area that could very well be drug-related in nature, stop by here:
http://www.spotcrime.com/in/fort+wayne
Now you're probably wondering how the drugs GET HERE?
Not a problem...we've got "connections" to Mexico, through Texas and Arizona, as well as the ties to Chicago gangs.
You may recall an incident a few years back where some Latinos were caught smuggling pot in huge earthenware vases in the back of a delivery truck. More recently, we had a huge pot bust up in Harlan (McChesney case-worth about $6 mil), as well as other assorted marijuana busts in and around the city (some even being home-grown in nature).
Then there are the METH LABS. Used to be confined to RURAL areas...not any longer. We've got MOBILE meth labs, cooking this shit in the backs of cars that are (in all likelihood) driving next to you on our streets and roads across the city and county!
We've got the OXYCONTIN thieves targeting damn near EVERY CVS or WALGREENS in the damn area.
So what is the net result for all this crap?
Well, take a look around your neighborhood. If you don't see a change, and all is well, count yourself one of the fortunate.
If not, you need to start getting on the stick about being more vigilant.
Take the recent thefts from vehicles on the SW side of town. I'd wager the police are watching all the PAWN SHOPS real closely, because people need to fence that stuff for some quick $$$ to get that next rock, or whatever else they are pumping into them.
We had such a person that USED to live a few doors away.
She got into meth (not the best dietary aid, I might add), lost a lot of weight, lost her job, lost her house...in THAT order. The house sits vacant, a property of the bank awaiting the next break-in attempt by the local scrappers, who are probably also looking for a fast score of cash to feed THEIR habit.
It quickly becomes a perverse form of "The Circle of Life", as it were, and those dwindling numbers of decent folks are left to deal with this, trying to fight it, or just bugging out, turning over MORE properties to those who would take over the area.
Do poverty and drugs go hand in hand?
Not if you're a person of ANY level of substance.
It's when you've been given every damn entitlement from every governmental agency that you sit back, watch the world go by, and "indulge" yourself with some drug-enhanced euphoric stupor.
It might not be the single mom with 3 kids trying to eek out a living causing the problem...it's her boyfriend of the month, and all HIS posse that causes it. And again, that will force good people AWAY from a neighborhood.
It only takes ONE HOUSE to start the cycle anew.
We've created a generation that feels the world owes them a living. They also feel they can do whatever they want in the process. And that includes drugs of any type and quantity.
Can this tide be reversed?
Only if more people are truly willing to get involved. When people stop doing NOTHING, and start doing SOMETHING, then, and only then, will they no longer be part of the problem, but become part of the solution.
And the solution is to reclaim our neighborhoods, making them places people WANT to live, and not exist in fear of their lives.
People cannot just keep moving.
Sooner or later we will run out of room. Best thing to do is to better utilize the room we already have, and if we have to stand on the necks of the drug pushers, and even the users to make that happen, then so be it.
In today's world, we can't afford NOT to.

06 October 2008

Monday Musings...
Something I couldn't help noticing something the other night while watching our freshly purchased IRON MAN dvd.
Actually it was more like a feeling.
There used to be a time when going to the movies was an honest-to-God great experience.
Entire FAMILIES could venture out to take in the latest cinematic fare, and for a reasonable price. Dad and I went out many a time to go see something like The Great Escape or Bridge on the River Kwai. Good times indeed. Dads were great at that.
It used to be that way.
I say used to be, because, in all truth, I'm not really seeing it today.
I recall times (back in Philly) when the place you went to see a movie was called a THEATER...a REAL theater. Names like Mayfair, Merben, Midway. Crest, Tyson, and Orleans (and those were just in the Northeast part of town), along with the Stanley, Boyd, Goldman (and others) downtown. come to mind.
We even had movie theaters right in the middle of our blocks, they were that prolific and popular.
In almost EVERY one of these houses (except the Orleans), we're talking TWO levels (orchestra and balcony), with NICE plush seats, a good view for everyone, a floor you didn't stick to, and a honking HUGE screen , sometime in excess of FORTY FEET WIDE and over TWENTY FEET HIGH. And those balconies provided a nice place to swap spit with your girlfriend. Many a young man and woman learned the great art of "necking" in those places.
I remember dating a young lady in high school and we got tickets to go see Funny Girl. And we didn't get ANY old tickets either...
They actually had RESERVED SEATING...just like at a concert. And when you got the tickets, a UNIFORMED USHER (complete with flashlight) would conduct you TO those seats. I remember having to mentally count the rows and then the number of seats into the row, in case I had to get up during the film.
And in THOSE days, many films had an actual INTERMISSION; a time to stretch, get some refreshments and take a whiz-break.
Ben Hur had such an intermission, as did Funny Girl, Doctor Zhivago, GrandPrix, and even Ice Station Zebra, and 2001: A Space Odyssey (the last two filmed in CINERAMA).
People would drive all the way into Philly from HARRISBURG just to see a CINERAMA movie...they were that popular (and not many movies houses could show that format). That was close to a ninety mile drive.
And the concession stands were places you could actually get something to munch on or drink WITHOUT having to take that second mortgage on the house!
Ticket prices (for any first-run film) were a whopping $2.50 for a matinee, and for those with "money to burn", the evening performances were tickling $4.00! But you, as the paying customer got so much more back then for the price.
I mean the architecture ALONE in those theaters was amazing. Every major theater house had it's own unique aspects to it, whether it was mirrored foyers with crystal chandeliers, or a throwback to the art-deco 1930s with it's Gothic statuary and ceiling adornments.
And did I mention that EVERY SINGLE ONE of those theaters was a SINGLE SCREEN movie house? none of this multi-mega-giga-plexing crap back then...oh, no. ONE screen...ONE movie...period. Well maybe a preview along with the movie of another movie playing a few streets over...and a nature short, and a couple full-length cartoons, courtesy of Warner Brothers. Somehow Bugs & Daffy seem a lot more funny when they're 15 feet tall.
The sound system were rudimentary to say the least. None of this THX or Dolby 5.1 surround sound for us. We were lucky if it WAS plain old stereo. And we were glad to get that. I do remember the oft times funny "Sensurround"...where the chairs vibrated (which felt good on the back). That was a flash in the pan.
Then, like everything else, things became more costly.
Film copies were expensive to transport (and fragile), projectors became costly to maintain, keeping people on staff was eating into profits, concessions needed to make up the losses by overcharging on stale everything, and so on...
Movie houses closed by the dozens, and those that managed to remain were halved or quartered in order to accommodate two screens...or more. No longer did we see ushers, even to keep the peace, because the clientele was changing as well, becoming more boisterous, even to the point of tossing things at the screen, something WE didn't even do at the Saturday $.75 cent matinees!
Sadly, many of the old movie houses are lost to the ages, along with their special way of making us feel a part of the movie experience. What we're left with today, is nothing short of a quasi-stadium atmosphere.
I have been to the new RAVE theater...not all that impressed to be honest. The sound was good and like everything else, a little TOO heavy on the BASS, but it did drown out some motor-mouthed, ratchet-jawed mooks a few rows up. Prices were outlandish, both for tickets as well as food & drinks (WTF is up with eating NACHOS with jalapeno cheese in a movie theater anyway?).
And so that's why my wife and I opt for watching movies at home.
We don't have to pay exorbitant prices.
We make our OWN popcorn and get free refills whenever.
We can have alcohol with the movie that we didn't have to "sneak" in.
We have very comfortable chairs.
We have NO one sitting in front of us with a huge hairdo, a big hat, large head, or a crying infant.
We don't have ANYONE explaining the movie to the person next to them.
We can PAUSE the movie, if we need to hit the head..
And we also know that after the movie, our CAR will be where we left it (in the garage).
OK, so maybe we don't have a "keeping up with the Joneses" state-of-the-art, stereo surround sound system (that can wake the dead) or a 60 inch plasma/LCD screen with a bazillion line resolution, but it's OURS, and we find it up to the task of entertaining us.
And we didn't go into debt to accomplish this.
So what if I had to wait a few months to see IRON MAN?
It was only 4 months...and well worth the wait.
I see it with NO interruptions or distractions...the way a movie SHOULD be watched.
(yeah, I'm a cinema purist in that regard)
Plus, I can watch it (again) any damn time I want to, sans the (societal) problems inherent with going to the movies today.
Will there be a time when movie theaters become a thing of the past?
They already ARE, supplanted by the multi-screened mini-movie "rooms" with airline seating that we "enjoy" today.
Gone are the old, great theaters of days past, and with them, so many good memories of so many good movies.
Preservation societies have reclaimed a few, but not enough to restore the greatest ones, nor be profitable As a movie house (except for occasional niche cult flick gatherings) against DVD sales as well as movie rentals such as Netflix (and others).
Be nice to revisit that era again, if even to only watch a cartoon or two.
In the meantime, EVERY seat is a "aisle seat" at our place.

03 October 2008

Weekend Roundup...
It's Friday and that long hard grind is coming to a close (for those still employed), and it's time to weigh in on matters that concern a lot of us.
So pour another cup of java (feel free to sweeten it with whatever choice bourbon or scotch is at hand...you're gonna need it), and let's start the end of the week off with a shout and not a whimper, fair enough?
** I admit to having watched the VP debate last night in it's entirety, and I came away very impressed.
It's not that I don't like Joe Biden...I think he has his place in the Senate (which he performed quite well when grilling others while on a committee), it's that I'd rather see him continue in that position.
I DO think that Governor Sarah Palin came away in a lot better shape (and she sure has one) than many gave her credit for.
I don't really look for "winners" or "losers"...it's a debate, not a boxing match.
But I would said that Sarah went the distance (as did Rocky Balboa), came out a lot better looking , and was none the worse for wear. She did what she had to do...with panache.
C'mon now, be honest guys... you have to admit...she's got NICE legs...AND she can shoot (unlike Cheney...on both counts).
She responded well, and with a folksy demeanor, saying a LOT to the common man and woman sitting in their modest homes. Palin even took a jab at the MSM, which delighted me to no end. She did her homework, and is to be applauded for that. And I believe that she could quite easily grow into the job of VP.
It's like being a parent, I suppose. No matter HOW MANY people advise you on HOW to raise a child, and no matter how many books you read, nothing will prepare YOU and the unique problems you will encounter in that process. You always come away learning something. I believe the same goes for the highest offices of the United States. No matter what your resume says, or how much you know, there will ALWAYS be something that comes in from left field, testing your mettle in the process.
That's when the rubber meets the road.
And I feel Governor Palin is up to that challenge, as does she.
You done good, girl!
Closer to home...
** Looks like the FWPD might be losing their motorcycle officers, at least that's what Chief York wants to pursue (due to costs).
Anyone else seeing a knee-jerk here?
I have to say that there ARE times when a squad car simply can't GET to where the action is...like on a busy highway with gridlocked traffic. Sure the cycles don't have laptops mounted on them, and the paperwork is still...paper, but I'd wager that electronic transmission of reports are possible for cycle cops.
Problem is, all the solutions have not been explored to any degree. We have blackberrys and other gadgets out the ass to keep every one of US informed...why not a cycle cop? It can be done...and should be.
Motorcycles are cheaper to purchase, cheaper to run (44 MPG - top THAT), and can go places cars can only dream of.
Sure it costs to maintain them...what doesn't?
Perhaps a lease program from a local dealer?
Remember, you heard about the M/C leasing gig here first, should it come up.
Speaking of the police...
** Seems the "D Boys" are at it again. The shooting of a person Wednesday near Yorkshire Drive & Maple Grove Avenue is believed to be gang-related. Nothing is etched in stone yet, but if the police have their suspicions, that's good enough for me.
And if any of those thugs try anything around OUR house, that "D" in the name D BOYS will come to mean DEAD...as in DECEASED BOYS.
Time to put a foot on their little ethnic necks..and keep it there.
**In Adams County, ISP officers pulled a car over that just happened to have about 60 POUNDS of marijuana in it. Two people were arrested (Francisco Moreno-Albarran, 23 of Decatur, Michigan, and Rodolfo Moreno, 18, of Elkhart). Don't let the (cell) door hit you in the ass on the way IN, boys!
**Another traffic stop in Kosciusko County resulted in FOUR arrests. After doing 90 in a 60 zone, ISP pulled the car over and found 250 grams of cocaine and 120 grams of marijuana in the vehicle. The driver, Sarah Shaw, 36, along with Ochieaunna Maxwell, 18, Roosevelt Allen, 24 (all from Ft. Wayne), and Philip Tate, 28 of Chicago (that toddlin' town) were arrested and face charges of felony possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana (See 'ya ...wouldn't wanna BE 'ya).
**A Fort Wayne teen has been arrested for the home invasion and beating of an 89 year old woman on Oakhurst drive near Stellhorn Road back on 13 September.
Deangelo James Holland, 18 is charged with robbery, burglary, criminal confinement, battery, and theft (I'd toss in intimidation as well...just to make an even half-dozen). Thanks to Wal-mart, J. C. Penney and several gas station's surveillance tapes, Holland was spotted using credit cards belonging to the woman and her husband (also robbed). Nice job, people.
Lastly, file this stuff in the UBER-OBVIOUS folder...
The Indiana State Board of Education thinks history text books are nothing short of BOR-ING!
Well, it IS history, folks...lots of facts, figures, and dead people.
When it comes to history, textbooks are the STARTING POINT...the REFERENCE guide, the "Rosetta Stone" of knowledge, if you will. If you wish to amplify the past, the best way to do that is with some A/V presentations, either recorded or live.
Get the kids to a museum (like the Lincoln one we just closed here...oops, too late...can't do that), or bring in some living history people that can assist with the study. All a teacher has to do is spark the interest in history...the rest will take care of itself.
It's not a thrill show, or a ballgame..it's the PAST.
Speaking of ballgames and the past...
The new name for the Fort Wayne Wizards is...(empty your mouth of fluids and food first unless you want the keyboard to need cleaning)....(drum roll)...the Fort Wayne TIN CAPS.
(sound of uproarious laughter)
Yeah...that's what I felt as well.
Seems the same people that rammed Harrison Square down your piehole have now named our ball club, with a (tin)hat tip to Johnny Appleseed (who we really don't know all that much about, except he really lived, unlike Pecos Bill, or Paul Bunyan), but you get the idea.
Now we have a smirking apple with a tin pot on it's head facing backward with a branch growing out the side as a team LOGO....just how f$cked up is that anyway?
I mean the MAD ANTS mascot is enough to scare the piss out of any child under 4 as it is...now we have a frigging smirking apple that can't wear a pot the right way on his head (like most of the people I see daily who are NOT catchers for any ball club).
Some people think the name will GROW ON US...what, like a freaking FUNGUS?
And the new ball park is farther AWAY from where Johnny Appleseed (Chapman) is believed to be buried anyway (the old stadium was closer), so where is the connection there?
Nothing to do with our 3 "rivers"...nothing to do with Abe Lincoln (who lived here for a brief time), and we sure don't need anything else to do with "Mad" Anthony Wayne. Nice to be known for some guy with "issues" in the Revolutionary War. Since we WERE a "fort" back then, no ideas on military themes, such as the Garrison...or the Minutemen?
And with Parkview Hospital tossing money at the stadium, no mention to hospital-medical-related things? The Fort Wayne Bedpans?
The Crash Carts?
The Orderlies?
This new name put us firmly in the Lansing LUGNUTS category...as is stupidest named team.
When all the city had to do was rename the team to The Fort Wayne Railsplitters (in honor of Mr. Lincoln). Hire the guy that posed as Lincoln at the defunct museum, hand him and axe, and turn him loose on the field.
Being a RAILSPLITTER sounds a lot TOUGHER than being a TIN CAP...right?
And having a mascot with an AXE has got to be better than a huge freaking apple ANY day.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go laugh some more at this city...thankfully, we're never running at a deficit when it comes to the bizarre, the inane, the insipid, or the ludicrous.
This city is defined by it's own capacity for stupidity.
I mean, with all THAT, what's there NOT to like about Fort Wayne, hmm?
(well, we COULD be Lansing)
DO have a SAFE weekend, everyone!

02 October 2008

The Decline And Fall - Part IV...
In the first three parts of my "epic" regarding neighborhoods, we spoke about the PEOPLE, the ENVIRONMENT and the CITY. Today, we'll focus on yet another facet of our diamond in the rough.
We're talking CRIME here.
Now crime is not new to the human race. It's been around since the model came out, and will (unfortunately) be with us in some manner until the human race packs it in. For the religious scholars out there, Cain slew Abel (his own brother) out of envy.
And thus we had...the FIRST murder.
Today, crime is not relegated solely to the physical realm. With the advent of new technologies, cyber-crime is a growing problem, and one not easily addressed, due in part to the constant changing OF those technologies. Whether it's identity theft, corporate hacking, electronic embezzlement, or Internet child pornography, the magnitude of these crimes seems to grow exponentially every year.
But that doesn't really have that much of a direct impact on a typical neighborhood, and certainly not one in decline.
Those neighborhoods have other (more physical) crimes to worry about, such as murder, rape, burglaries, robberies, assaults, car thefts, and the like. And to every crime...there IS a victim.
As one example, take the recent spate of thefts from vehicles in the Southwest part of Fort Wayne.
In neighborhoods that almost any decent person would LOVE to live in, with their nicely manicured properties and the friendliness of the people living there, crime has arrived. And we're not just talking about the teen pranks. This is big time.
The residents there have received their "wake up" call...and they'd best listen, and not roll over and hit the "snooze" button.
One gentleman had 3 hunting rifles taken from his truck, and he stated that "It's as if someone KNEW they were in there".
Right you are, my good man.
Someone DID know...because you WERE being watched.
Sounds a bit paranoid, but think about it.
Criminals do not have any "clairvoyant" abilities, nor do they rely on crystal balls (but they do have brass balls) or tarot cards to determine where they will strike.
They used the tried and true method...they WATCH...anything and everything...anyone and everyone. They look for patterns of behavior, comings and goings, and in some ways, are more proactive than the police when it comes to the commission of these crimes. They do their homework, as it were.
How many vehicles have the residents noticed in the area that don't "belong" there? Anyone sitting down the street in some car scoping the area out? Is there one house in the area exhibiting dubious behavior by it's residents and "friends"?
This is akin to the drug problem they used to have up in Whispering Meadows a few years back.
I say USED TO HAVE, because the people got together, started keeping notes, and reported suspicious activities whenever they noticed them. And it has worked. Then again, it takes a community to do that.
Sometimes, it takes ONE person who gives a damn enough to fire everyone else up.
I would wager that the SW people that have been victimized will do likewise, in order to protect themselves, their families and the possessions they have busted their asses to get. But it starts with giving yourselves out there a good, swift kick in your complacency, and start treating crime as something that will come to ANY area, rich or poor, good or bad.
Sadly, in areas like MINE (or Phil's), it's a whole other story.
People in general just DO NOT CARE, and rarely, if ever get "involved", and you can tell simply by the manner in which they conduct their lives (such as they are). Many times they cause crime by simply turning the other way.
Now there are those that always shout about POVERTY being at the root of this evil, and I'd have to disagree to a large part.
Being "poor" doesn't necessarily CAUSE crime. Look at the guys at ENRON...sure weren't all THAT poor, were they? Same goes for other players in large companies that swindled their way through life. Not a church mouse in the bunch.
So being poor is not a prerequisite for criminal activity.
Being STUPID, however, is.
It can be the "thrill of the hunt", an initiation into a gang, or an opportunity that merely presents itself that will allow any of us to engage in something wrong. Fortunately, technologies to prevent such activities have substantially decreased crimes like this.
But ANY person can become a criminal...all they need is the right set of parameters. Then there's that thing we call a conscience. Tends to get in the way most times, to the betterment of our society. We CHOOSE to not be a criminal today by killing someone.
It's the old "accountability - personal responsibility - consequences" animal rearing it's head. And we listen to it...it keeps most of us out of trouble on a daily basis. And yes, it IS easier to refrain from criminal activity than it is to pursue it.
Sadly, we cannot predict when a violent crime such as murder or rape will occur. Many times, those are crimes of opportunity. The impulsiveness of the perp will determine when that crime will happen, with the usual results.
But in neighborhoods such as are found on the SE side, crimes like murder will come from some form of escalation, whether verbal or physical. There is no "opportunity", per se., but there IS the air of impulsiveness attached to these crimes. As is often the case, it's of a retaliatory nature, and this is where innocent people become victims in the process. Blame that on poor marksmanship, perhaps, but with the availability of illegal firearms (like those stolen from the SW part of town), we can see that one crime will often beget others. That stolen gun may be used in a robbery, a homicide, a carjacking...whatever. It's a self-sustaining creature, in that respect.
We always hear that CRIME FOLLOWS POVERTY. I'd like to believe otherwise. When I see the "Hoovervilles" of the Great Depression, I doubt if crime was more rampant THEN and THERE, as it is today, and with good reason; people were trying to get a damn MEAL and a place to keep from freezing their asses off, and no one had anything that a criminal would want.
No one had anything at all.
I would counter that crime follows poverty ONLY because poverty became a good place to "hide" after committing a crime. If you rob a store on the poor side of town, the best place to lay low will be IN THAT AREA, simply due to the fact that people (in general) will not care. And we can't say that poverty is to blame for the apathy. We CAN say that entitlements and welfare IS to blame. That lulls people into a state of doing nothing, because someone else is doing it FOR THEM.
So with all the time on their hands (and government money in their pockets), what better way to kill that time than by committing some crime, just for "shits n grins"?
This is the only case where poverty may cause crime, but NOT directly. It's more of an "extracurricular activity" to these people.
The funny thing is, when crime is allowed to grow, it grows really FAST. And many times, the city is ill-prepared to handle such growth. But if the city were to get a handle on the smaller crimes first, the larger crimes wouldn't be able to establish a foothold. This is the area where many cities fail and what causes entire areas of cities to fall into a "blighted" condition.
It's what causes that first neighbor to flee from their street, opening the doors for crime to move in. It's what allows thugs to take over a block, a neighborhood, and eventually, an entire section of a city.
Trouble is, it COULD have been prevented, if only the citizens were paid more attention to.
When a neighborhood begins to have problems, and the people attempt to engage the city in some manner in order to nip it in the bud, the city should have no choice but to DO WHAT IS NECESSARY in the best interest OF those citizens.
Failure to do so will result in people leaving their neighborhood (and perhaps the city itself), and with these people goes their TAX DOLLARS, which will eat away at the finances of that city, until it begins running in "deficit mode" year after year. We're just starting to see that in Fort Wayne, and I predict that unless and until something is done to reclaim the neighborhoods beset with all the major types of crime, they can kiss their tax revenues bye-bye.
Sooner or later your tax base will be so eroded that those who remain will not be able to carry the city, no matter HOW MUCH you decide to tax them, and since all the section 8'ers aren't all that involved with working OR paying taxes, you're not going to get that much blood from THOSE turnips any time soon, right?
The citizens who see the first rumblings of crime in their area need to man up, stand firm, and protect their properties and their interests as well by utilizing whatever means necessary.
Placing a FOR SALE sign out front won't cut it.
Running from ANY problem will NOT make that problem go away.
But those of us that remained in some neighborhoods ALREADY found that out...didn't we?

01 October 2008

Heckuva Humpday...
Well, it looks as though the sewer gang will be working outside our "estate" today, so I'm kind of glad I didn't decide to mow that part of the lawn ...it would have really done a number on their hose line draped across the grass...LOL!
So, perhaps it's time to keep it a bit "light" today and take a look at what's been going on around us.
--The city and county are deciding not to pursue a joint headquarters building for the FWPD/ACSD at this time. Well, ain't that nice. I mean the last thing we taxpayers need is another tax hike, right? I wonder how that will shake out when the city's lease on the Creighton St. building expires next year? Not to mention the ACSD is still working on that property over by New Haven.
And it does beg the question as to WHY the FWPD ever closed the "sub-stations" it used to have about the city...like the one that USED to be over at SOUTHTOWN PLAZA (where the police are called to all too regularly anyway these days).
--The "bailout" on Wall St continues as Congress and the Senate vacillate over the whys, hows, and whens of the whole deal. In this blogger's opinion, I'd like to see these lending agencies bail themselves out. I mean, if I got into some deep financial dung, it would be MY responsibility to get myself the hell out. Same should apply to ANYONE else, if we are talking true equality here..
--Today would have been my parents 59th anniversary, had they lived to see it.
Funny how time changes some things and not others. Yeah, I still miss them both, and would give damn near anything to have an afternoon with them...just to chat for a spell. You know you're getting older when things such as that preoccupy your thoughts.
--Henry Ford introduced his Model T on this day. Now there was a unique vehicle. It could run on anything from kerosene to gasoline to moonshine.
Truly, the first alternative-fuel vehicle.
And now we're attempting to come full circle...only for a lot more expense to the consumer.
You left us too soon, Henry.
--As far as the new FALL LINEUP of TV shows...not too much to write home about.
-Knight Rider - NO Pontiac Trans Am, NO William Daniels (as KITT), NO good acting (still), and NO reason to watch.
-The Mentalist - Intriguing show, but can it sustain itself?
-The Fringe - X-Files meets ??? (not a bad show)
-Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
- In the USA, it's as every bit as good as the UK show, because of "our" attitude. A fun watch (count the number of times the word "f$ck" is bleeped - turn it into a "drinking" game with some friends...lol)
Other than that, it's back to new seasons of my personal favorites, and mind you, I only watch these as a "guilty pleasure":
-NCIS - good cast and writing staff...and who doesn't recall David McCallum from the Man from U.N.C.L.E.
(extra points if you know what U.N.C.L.E. stands for and who played Napoleon Solo)
-The Unit
- This team gets it done...whatever "it" might be.
-Criminal Minds - Excellent writing and a good cast.
-CSI Miami - Some nice "eye candy"...and Caruso's deadpan delivery.
-CSI New York - Gary Sinise is first rate, and there are some pretty good "nue yawk" accents.
-Family Guy & America Dad - the guiltiest of my pleasures...wonderfully irreverent and funny. Still, I'd much rather have THEM as neighbors than what I currently have...any day.
-And for those of you that can't get enough Star Wars...this Friday on Cartoon Network: CLONE WARS. This CGI series fills in the gaps between the 2nd and 3rd movies, and although the biological characters are a bit too stylized, the robots and machinery are well rendered.
Then there's always the COMBAT reruns (from the 1960s) on AMERICAN LIFE TV, as well as all the classic COPS episodes on TRU TV.
I suppose I should mention that the HISTORY channels (yes, all of them) are always worth a watch, as are the DISCOVERY channels (especially Mythbusters).
And who can forget Turner Classic Movies when you just HAVE to see CASABLANCA...one more time?
So it won't be for want of something to watch when the weather gets cold, and we all want to sit back with a hot cup of something and a fleece throw about our feet and take life a bit easier.
Lord knows we could all use that now.