When I was out walking this morning, I saw that someone had posted a flyer saying that a woman had been mugged (and punched in the face) a few days ago, and that earlier this month there was an attempted mugging. I myself was mugged about 2 years ago. About a year ago, the police held a community meeting where everyone vented about feeling unsafe, and there was talk of a neighborhood watch program or committee, but as far as I know nothing much came of it.
My neighborhood is mostly 1 2 or 3 story apartment buildings with lots of 20’s - 30’s who (1) tend to be out at night (coming home from dinner, bars, clubs, etc., and (2) are mostly renters who stay for a few years and then move on, so there is not a lot of community (at least as far as I can tell). For those who know LA, I live near 3rd and La Brea, right near the La Brea Tar Pits.
Since getting mugged myself, I try to be more careful, and rarely if ever walk at night (it kind of sucks to say that, but it’s true). Is there anything else to do (other than move?)
I thought about setting up a mailing list, and indeed I actually did set up a yahoo group, but it never really went anywhere. Should I post flyers around telling people to join up on this yahoo group? Will a mailing list really do much good?
Get a petition in your neighboorhood and then take it to the police department. They have “Citizens On Watch” programs where citizens tool around in cop cars and monitor areas.
Also I would try and get the Neighboorhood Watch back into action. The more people involved the better.
I’d recommend getting a skin-tight costume with bright colors, a cape and a mask. Train in martial arts (assuming you don’t already have unearthly powers). Then, come up with a new moniker and become a crime-fighting superhero. After punching out a few muggers and leaving their unconscious remains for the police to handily arrest, muggings should be down in your neighborhood pretty quick.
This response brought to you by the Council for Flip and Smartass Responses.
There must be some books on street crime in your local library. Your local police station must have some local statistics you can study. You have a city council person and/or county rep who can facilitate getting you some copies of reports. We all know there must be tons of reports.
After arming yourself with local specific knowledge, chatting with cops, and some general knowledge, you’ll be able to answer the question yourself more effectively.
It may also help to start a rumor that there’s a maniac around who kills and mutilates muggers.
Well, he probably lives there because the neighborhood has a lot to offer in spite of the crime problem. He’s near several worthwhile museums, and within an easy drive of almost everything worth seeing and doing in L.A. And there are a lot of clubs and bars in the area too.
So yeah, if he moved to the suburbs it’d probably be safer for him; i.e. he could walk at night. The catch is that there would be no place to walk to.
Still I’m disheartented to hear of the muggings; I’d always heard of problems with property crime there, but not personal assaults.
If your neighbors all took a handgun safety and self defense class, and acquired permits to carry your weapons concealed, and made this fact known, I bet muggings would stop. At least they would move to a lesser armed neighborhood.
We have the right to keep and bear arms. We have the right to self defense. Often we prefer others to do it for us, as it is sometimes unseemly.
Exactly. Also, I’m hoping to hold off on moving until I can afford to buy a place.
You and me both. There are plenty of car break ins too (at least for cars parked on the street.) Again, I think the issue is that the neighborhood has a lot of young, more or less well to do people, who are out at night coming home from clubs, restaurants, etc.
And, because most people are renters here for only a few years, people don’t know their neighbors.
I appreciate everyone’s (well, most everyone’s) thoughts.
I guess my question is really, is there any way to use an email mailing list (or a yahoo group) to bring people together to focus on the issue of safety and crime in our neighborhood?
I guess the short answer is, try it and find out. But, this project will likely involve some work (setting up the mailing list, getting the word out by posting flyers, etc.) and I’ve just started a new job and blah blah blah. So what I was hoping to find out is whether anyone knows of other communities that have used email or the Internet for this kind of thing.