Anti-Crime Activism Thread

[enigmacat]

for the superheroes of Astoria, per Jonathan's request.

Ready, set, activate!

[Gleason]

Some recent pieces about crime in the papers. Can someone lookup and post the links on the city website on crime?

Its broken down by community board and published monthly.

All the politicans and community board people I am sure get regular updates.

http://www.qgazette.com/news/2006/0208/Front_Page/

http://www.qgazette.com/news/2006/0208/features/016.html

http://www.qgazette.com/news/2006/0315/features/026.html

http://www.qgazette.com/news/2006/0315/features/008.html

They gave us a great update on crime," former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. said of the meeting.

In addition to his verbal report, McCarthy gave a 20-minute slide presentation on crime in the precinct and Vallone Jr., chair of the council Public Safety Committee, reported on public safety in Astoria and throughout the city. "We were all very pleased with the public safety report," Vallone Sr. said.

So you are going to the precinct meeting and tell them about something they do not already know (after all they go over the stats every month)?!?!

Or will things now change because the public will show up?

Think it will make more sense to organize, then go to the precinct meetings.

[Jonathan]

OK,  lets set a meeting at freeze peach. Does wednesday eve work?

We can bring a print out of the 5 step action plan http://www.licalliance.org/pages/guide.shtml and get organized.  

Lets keep the first meeting to this one issue of crime and safety. We can deal with other issues later.

[JustDesserts]

I'd like to attend.  What time?

[Jonathan]

Lets see who can attend and when works best.  It would be great if we could seta time that works for the most people.

[Gleason]

Jonathan, a group is already meeting to discuss this problem, not a block away from the location of where the stuff happened.

If you cannot attend the LICA meeting tomorrow (I for one have never been there but am intrigued by their grassroots efforts), then I am sure people this board will keep you posted.

So folks, lets see what that LICA group is made of.  I have never been to their meetings, I am impressed by their website and the position they are taking on development and quality of life issues (which they posted while Vallone is saying everying is ok in the crime department back in March)

So lets see what they have to say.

[enigmacat]

Jonathan, I can't do wednesday at the freeze, unfortunately - but I could make any further meetings that come up.

[Jonathan]

I believe it would be a good idea to meet and get our thoughts together.  People can attend the LICA meeting and report on it.  The precint meeting should also be of interest.

[flooz]

i can go weds anytime after 6.

[mugshots]

Why not join up with LICA?  If they already have an activist part to their website, they must have some experience.  Why re-invent the wheel?  Besides, there is more mower in numbers.  I think I saw someone from  LICA already post on this site that there is a meeting tomorrow night at 7 at 35-20 Broadway.  It would make more sense to come out and talk abotu this there.  

[Gleason]

It would be great to have 10 groups meeting!!

But do not think that you are going to tell the elected officials, community board, and precinct council things they don't already know .... remember everyone was saying things are swell just a few months ago.

Just don't want people to be a backdrop for yet another press conference full of platitudes, or as they say, sound and fury that signifies nothing.

Only grassroots can make things change.

[mugshots]

Sorry for the typo.  It should have read that there is more power in numbers!  

[flooz]

i think jonathan is saying in addition to thise meetings, for those of us who can't make it anyway-we can organize our thoughts and stuff, am i right? if you can get to those meetings already taking place thats great and i totally think everyone should, but i know i can't tomorrow so weds at the peach for an informal gathering sounds about right for me this week.

[enigmacat]

LICA could be a good thing, but I'm not interested in fighting development - not saying it's not a worthy battle, just not where I would chose to invest myself.

Violent hate crimes, however, are a big problem and definitely a problem I would chose to invest myself in fighting. (I think that was a bad sentence but I'm not looking back).

So if it turns out that LICA doesn't have problem with suddenly acquiring a dozen or more members who have their own agenda and may have differing values from their established mission, and want to take up a good chunk of the meeting talking about their concerns, cool. It's possible that they would be very happy to see us.

In the meantime, it doesn't hurt for neighbors to get together and talk about what their concerns and ideas are - whether it's just a couple of meetings to discuss options and we eventually join an existing group, or decide that we can best serve our purpose by starting our own.

I don't have that much going on at night I can DO multiple meetings!

[Jonathan]

Enigmacat and Flooz, thank you and I agree with all you said.  From the LICA meeting reminders here on astorians, it seems to be about development issues and it seems to me that our concern now is about crime and its prevention.  If some of us in here can meet up for dinners, why cant we meet up for more important issues?  Whats the problem?

I am simply suggesting a group of like minded people meet up and talk.  People can attend any meetings they like.