Dellwood, which adjoins Ferguson, has a different approach to police work.
In Dellwood, a “citizens academy” was started for residents. They graduate, receive certificates and shirts and then can volunteer at events to essentially help keep the peace. It “brings the community closer to the police department,” according to [Mayor] Jones.
The police chief in Dellwood has also apparently issued an order to have each officer meet one new person each week and file a report on who they met. This is “another way to ensure the officer is talking to people” and “getting to know residents.”
If you know the people, you are policing then you don’t have as much fear of what those people are going to do. Fear seems to have been a huge contributing factor to the arrests and police violence that have unfolded in the past weeks. So, Jones said that the city makes an attempt to make sure the relationship between the community and police is not a “me against you” relationship.
* * *
The city of Ferguson has red light cameras that were installed in August 2011.
“We don’t do those kind of things, which frustrate residents,” Jones asserted. “Those kind of things create a bad relationship between government and residents when you have all these kind of things you are constantly using—and for revenue purposes—but seventy percent of the time you’re frustrating people.”
“I believe in good old-fashioned policing. Pull you over with a radar, and write you a ticket,” Jones added. “True, we can put a camera up and boost revenue, but I just don’t think that’s necessary because, again, you create that bad relationship with your residents and your police or even your government when you start doing that.”
Jones has been the mayor since April 2013. He ran based on a vision of uniting the city because there had been a “big political fight” that had divided it. He put forward a platform that included listening to more voices in the community and, according to him, city council meetings now have “great attendance” with people coming out to see how government is operating and what is going on.
* * *
Like many who have observed and been involved in what was happening, Jones contended that what Ferguson residents need to learn is to vote in their city’s elections. The city is nearly 70% African-American and there is only one black on the city council. There are only three black police officers. Yet, in the last election, voter turnout was 12%.
12 comments:
I tried to get something like this started in Savannah, years ago. The police and local government weren't buying it at the time -- they seemed to view it as vigilantes -- but it really makes a lot of sense.
Sounds like a good idea, but businesses in Dellwood were looted all the same.
*sigh*
Try searching on "Chris Rock police youtube video" and watch the video that pops up. Showing that in the public schools would go a long way to cut down problems.
"The city is nearly 70% African-American and there is only one black on the city council. There are only three black police officers. Yet, in the last election, voter turnout was 12%."
The left has a ready answer for this. It seems that the requirement to have your current address be the same as the address in your voting registration discriminates against people who move more often, who would be poor people, who would be black people, and therefore racism.
Seriously. Oh, and it's also the fault of the law that says that Ferguson municipal elections are held in odd-numbered years, where there are no Federal or State-wide offices at stake, so turnout among poor people is much lower, and so this law is keeping African-Americans from having a greater voice in government, so it needs to change.
I can't be lying, because I can't make up stuff like this.
The city is nearly 70% African-American and there is only one black on the city council. There are only three black police officers. Yet, in the last election, voter turnout was 12%.
The flip side of this (one of several in this multi-sided coin) is that the citizens of Ferguson have to believe their votes, and elections in general, actually matter. This is a vicious circle that'll be hard to break, particularly since the failures from...bad...elections come more promptly than successes from...good...elections.
Eric Hines
Sounds like a good idea, but businesses in Dellwood were looted all the same.
The benefit is more in that Dellwood hasn't sparked a multi-week episode of riots and looting.
Yanno, my folks always taught me that if I didn't vote in an election, I had no right to bitch about it's results.
Buuut, then again, as I said at VC, apparently I'm in need of re-education on so many things.
*sigh*
I think I'll just go to the lake.
It's a gorgeous day, and there aren't any politics on the lake. Just blue sky, clear water and a kayak.
they seemed to view it as vigilantes
Scary.
Death squads in the middle of the night accidentally terminating people, that's SOP and worth a few paid vacations. But vigilantes are scary. See the people shiver in fear?
The benefit is more in that Dellwood hasn't sparked a multi-week episode of riots and looting.
Neither did Ferguson for the past decade. Not sure you can conclude much from that.
Dellwood suffered some spillover at its boundaries with Ferguson, but the whole community didn't erupt with seething hatred against its own police force or local government. I think people explode with more childish resentment and rage when they have no sense of involvement in their own governance, and therefore no responsibility for any of the conditions that are immiserating them--and of course no hope, which might lead them to seek a solution instead of destroying everything they can touch.
The police and local government weren't buying it at the time -- they seemed to view it as vigilantes...
And you did your best Lee Marvin/Paint Your Wagon impression, and said, "You think that's bad?"
Blacks have protested in their actual communities against Democrat oppression.
What, people haven't heard about it?
That's because they were silenced by the Powers that Be. As intended.
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