The Start of Push-Back Against Crime
Emotions were strong in Prospero’s Books at 39th and Bell Streets on Sunday evening, January 31st. A Volker Watch meeting organized by resident Kara Werner drew an audience of more than 40 neighbors who had come to talk about ways to deal with the recent upsurge of violent crime in the neighborhood. They came, too, from outside Volker, from close-in areas like Roanoke and West Plaza, where Kevin Beaver, fatally wounded in the December 18th, 2009 strong-arm robbery at Westport Road and Wyoming Street, lived.
Some were angry; others were apprehensive; others were just plain upset. All, however, were resolute and united on one point: Volkerites need to stand together against the criminals that seem poised to exploit the open friendliness that is one of Volker’s best assets, where warm weather events like block parties and front porch visits project a nearly small town ambience.
Take Dave, who opened his door early one evening to be confronted by two young men, one of whom pointed a gun in the homeowner’s face. “I’m still pretty mad,” he said. ”It’s like being violated.”
Several of Dave’s neighbors shared their feelings as well. Trinity, there with her friend Janine, spoke of now being uneasy as she walks from her front door a short distance to her car: ”I move fast,” she said, “and keep my eyes open.”
One man, the father of small children, expressed concerns for their safety. He had begun thinking, he said, about a possible move to the suburbs.
When talk shifted into ideas about mounting an effective response, individual narratives revealed the complexity of the problem. Take police presence. Jeff Lewis, southeast area representative with the Volker Neighborhood Association, observed that Central Patrol Division covers an area from the Missouri River on the north to the Plaza on the south, and from State Line Road east to Prospect Avenue. Included in that territory are high-density entertainment venues like the Power & Light District and Westport, where gatherings of upwards of 100,000 people can surge between 7 PM and Midnight.
“That drains law enforcement resources that would otherwise be available for our neighborhood,” said Lewis. Response time to 911 calls can consequently stretch into 20 minutes, a critical period in the case of a life-threatening event like armed robbery.
By meeting’s end, there was general agreement that starting a neighborhood watch program was worthwhile, along with developing closer ties to our neighbors. In remarks at the January VNA meeting, Officer James Schriever, neighborhood police liaison from Central Patrol Division, stated his belief that neighbors looking out for each other and being aware of patterns in their surroundings can be a powerful deterrent to crime.
“There are a lot more of us than there are of [the police],” said Dan, a participant in the discussion. “If we call 911, and if they get more than one person calling, and we call whenever there’s an incident, we’ll get their attention. He went on to say that more people need to turn on porch lights “Volker tends to be dark.”
As next steps, Kara Werner envisions a candlelight “take back the night” vigil, and organizing telephone trees so neighbors can spread alerts when a crime has been committed. She will post flyers announcing forthcoming meetings with volunteer help. VNA board members spoke of the possibility that the association may be able to underwrite the cost of printing.
Although it may have taken misfortune to galvanize our neighborhood, the outcome can only be a better, safer and closer Volker community.
Below is information about the next Volker Watch meeting:
Sunday, February 21, 2010
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Prospero's Bookstore
1800 W. 39th (39th & Bell)
