Who ya gonna call?
Last night we had a meeting with residents on Swansea Way in order to talk about a recent break-in. A flyer was passed out the previous day and then residents met at a particular house for 30 minutes in order to talk about what happened and also to kick around some ideas regarding community building on their street. Residents will be planning a BBQ at some point soon too, which is really a beaming portrayal of unity and neighborhood effort to come out of something dismal like a burglary. It was decided that having a contact list for all Swansea residents would be a great idea. This list will have names, phone numbers, and addresses of residents. You never know when you’ll need to contact someone on your street. I have certainly had to reach people before, but then not had their phone number. Anyway, this list will be something good to post on the fridge, so check it out and consider gathering a few names and phone numbers on your street too in order to help foster communication and promote safety.
Download: Neighbor Contact Form (pdf)
One more thought. When crime happens in the neighborhood and it is something that residents should know about, it may be worth considering calling a simple meeting together like what we did last night. If not though, then just make sure word gets out if it needs to. After calling the police to report the crime, please make sure to tell other residents via word of mouth, a letter, the e-Group, neighborhood website, or whatever way you can. It is vital for our neighborhood that we communicate about what is going on so that we can be a better team together.
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