February 13, 2007
Doing Something About Crime
It looks like we're not the only one's to have noticed an uptick in violence lately as the Powers That Be Have too. This in response to the four recent shootings over the weekend, two of them in broad daylight.
Right now, the SFPD are going to try and protect people by, yes, sending in more cops to police the projects in the Western Addition. Besides more cops, Police Chief Heather Fong is also sending sheriff's deputies and probation personnel to the scene.
Part of the problem seems to be the fact that nobody is coming out to identify anyone who did the shooting. From our deep and thorough understanding of inner city youth violence, mainly consisting of watching "The Wire," we know how that's the main problem in these things. Two of the shootings happened in broad daylight--somebody had to have seen something. So, in an effort to help find witnesses, the police are going to post flyers asking for any help in solving the crimes. They are also investigating to see if the crimes were all related, as they seemed to come right after each other.
In a weird way, this reminds of a story that happened years ago. Friends of ours once lived across the street from the projects in the Western Addition. One night they witnessed a drive by and when they called the cops, the cops wanted them to go out in the street, right in front of the projects, and help them identify the people involved. They refused. Can't say we don’t blame them.
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Fong needs to put Lester Freamon in charge of the Major Crimes unit and stop juking the stats. Or maybe Bunny Colvin can legalize drugs in a small section of the city and get those kids off the corners.
And I thought I was the only one who used 'the wire' as a way of understanding my 'hood. Thanks for the article. The Powers That Be are more interested in Anna Nicole and Gavin's hairstyle than murders in the lower haight.
This is what you get when you allow the white "progressives" to run amuck in a city. Everyone is too worried about offending someone. We all know the kind of people that are doing all this killing. Why must we stick our heads up our civic asses and not want to call it like we see it? The black community in this city needs a major enima. White "progressives" spend so much time protesting gentricication and redevelopment zones, all the while the black community has turned parts of SF into Bagdad. And just because I think the black community is f*cked up in SF doesn't make me hate black people. You see I'm "progressive" enough to know the difference between the BLACK COMMUNITY and the BLACK PEOPLE.
The Black Community = ineffective, culpible and silent to the fact some of their own members are to blame. The BLACK PEOPLE = scared, leaderless and angery. I'm not saying that the Black Community is totally to blame, let's get real, let's stop making excusses, and let's start calling things for what they are. The more we keep blaming everyone (SFPD, Gavin, Slavery, Republicans, The Man, etc.) but the Black Community, the longer and deadlier this "war" will be.
I'm not a big fan of the SFPD either. I've seen a dozen cops stand around a low-priority crime scene and chat with each other for a few hours. This instead of walking beats in some of these very dangerous neighborhoods. And mayor and Government in general could do better. The bottom line is it's time for an intervention...
Where is Peter Ragone when you need him?
In order to get this comment section back to sanity, all I'll add is Major Daniels for Police Commish.
I honestly think that having watched every episode of the wire makes you something of an authority on inner city crime. I'm sure I could drop some knowledge on Heather Fong. HBO should have a quiz on their website and once we pass we should all get our Inner City Crime cards in the mail.
Kidding aside...
Hamsterdam is Hunter's Point. Hamsterdam has spread to other sections of 'inner city' in our little big city and now people with voices and votes that matter are seeing this violence first hand. This has spilled out of the projects and people are scared. They're also pissed and they deserve to be, but we all should have been raising hell for years over what's been going on in Hunter's Point.
Crime is nothing new to Western Addition, but 4 shootings in the span of a weekend and 2 in broad daylight is a warzone. SF deserves an explanation as to what the hell is going on over there and how it got to this point. I have a feeling the Gav will be just as enlightened as the rest of us.
@blinky: You have no idea what you're talking about. Get back to your TV.
WA is not a "war zone", "bagdad" or the product of some notion of "failed community". Nor is it a very dangerous neighborhood for cops to patrol. Police officers patrol for safety, not because they like the exercise. I presume I need not point out that potential danger is part of the job.
A big factor is the recent upswing in cocaine use and popularity, and demand creates opportunity for dealers - gangs form or close in to claim, hold, and fight over valuable territory again. And no surprise, poor people suffer because that's where it goes down.
More cops on the street are needed, and known faces of beat cops are valuable. As is participation in neighborhood meetings and making plans as a community. Cowering in fear, watching TV and getting creatively racist like Blinky does nothing to address the problem.
As with earlier troubles in WA, this episode too will almost certainly turn out to be a few criminal elements who need to be removed from the community and dealt some law. Without panic, fearmongering or sensationalism.
Dear dln:
Get your feedback right. No place did I mention anything about TV (of which I watch very little and don't even have cable).
What part of WA do you live? I live near Webster and Fulton. While I didn't call it a "warzone", it most certainly is not a very safe place to walk around many nights. The sound of shouting, gunshot and squeeling tires is a nightly occurance. I know many of my neighbors and the trouble is not "a few criminal elements". It is entire households and entire extended families. I'll tell you what: walk your white ghetto-enabling ass down to Laguna and Eddy tonight and check back and let me know how "fearmongering" people like me are being.