STEPPING UP
Buried in all the bad news, every
now and then a glimmer of hope shines through. Like when you catch that
fleeting reflection of one sparkling grain of sand on the beach, it catches
your eye just long enough to give you pause. In Manchester, New Hampshire, a
group of neighbors have provided that glimmer, and with a little luck, it
will grow into a steady glow. Near Barbara Miles' house, a couple of
weather-beaten signs provide a warning to would-be criminals: This Area is
monitored by a Neighborhood Crime Watch. The problem is that there are no
longer any organized watch programs. Or at least, there weren't.
Miles vowed to breathe new life into the program in the wake of the shooting
of Police Officer Mike Briggs, not far from her home at the corner of
Somerville and Cyrpus streets in the center of the city. People could see
the neighborhood going downhill and decided to do something about it. In
concert with the Manchester Police Department, they will hold their frist
official meeting on April 25th at the Somerville Street Firehouse. Other
neighborhoods have been doing the same and police now count 41 watch groups
throughout Manchester, up from 14 last fall. Three years ago there were 6.
Tracy Degges, a long-time anti-crime activist says "thank God people woke
up. People stopped being afraid and said 'Enough is enough' ". In some
cases, dormant groups began to meet again. The influx clearly in the wake of
the fatal police shooting, Nicole Rudler, who runs Weed and Seed, a federal
anti-crime program in Manchester, says "it's a huge increase in
participation, and we'll take it." It is an impressive example of what
people can do, even at a grass roots level, to try and make a difference.
Group members take shifts walking the neighborhoods with cameras. They can
take pictures, but they can't audiotape. It provides a presence that the
police cannot do, and statistics show, it is making a difference. Especially
with crimes such as prostitution and street dealing, the presence of cameras
alone can be intimidating.
The groups meet with a designated coordinator, a member of the Manchester
Police Department. This way they receive guidance, are taught not to get
into confrontations, what you can and cannot do and say. With this
technique, the groups do not become a thorn in the side of the department.
There is communication and the groups then become a help, not a hindrance,
to achieving the goal. Discouraging crime and trying to regain stability and
safety in neighborhoods. The department’s coordinator, Dana Langton listens
to the neighbors complaints as well at these meetings, and it gives the
department an inside view of the fabric of each area. At times, he admits,
the groups seem unmanageable, but he continues to try to make it work. After
losing a brother officer to a gunshot on these streets, the gravity of the
situation is not lost on him.
So these folks in Manchester can teach all of us a little something. I
admire their effort, their courage, really, for stepping up and trying to
make a difference. If nothing else, it sends a message to the other side.
That we will not sit idle and witness the decline of our streets,
neighborhoods and cultures. That there is an unspoken code that must be met,
that streets should be safe for women and children, that this neighborhood
is a family in itself. I will watch with interest to see how these watch
groups do, but I know already that they have been a success, if only for
"stepping up".