College rapes?

Wow! Buz got sent this link about the issue of campus "rape" published in the LA Times.

He doesn't really know what to make of it, and not sure if he really agrees with it. Nevertheless, dear readers, check it out for yourself.

This writer does not in my most humble opinion seem to be terribly objective. I wonder what others think.

See:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-mac_donald24feb24,0,4173776.story

Thanks to Troy Johnson, Gus Gordon, and Andy Ratner, along with Jeff Landew

Buz wants to give thanks:
Andy Ratner of the Sun had an article on blogs in which he mentioned little ole me!

He became aware of our existence from the efforts of Jeff Landew, a dear old friend of the family and Copy Editor Supreme at the Sun.

Gus Gordon, Troy's producer, was emailed the article about my little blog.

Troy Johnson, heard daily on WHFS, 105.7, is a really nice guy who invited my on his radio talk show last Thursday to talk about crime in Baltimore. (And there's a lot to talk about!). He fills the 1-3pm shot following the Ed Norris Show (now there's a guy with a huge following who landed on his feet!) We talked about the Inner Harbor skateboarding incident, hypersegregation of crime, and crime in general.

Thanks to all; we'll blog on and try to make it interesting.

Street Patrols in the Northern

Buz was on his way home from his nonprofit job last Thursday night when he saw two Northern District units roll up to the pizza joint in the 5200 block of York Road. (A not-so-nice stretch of York Road after dark.) They parked their cars in the middle of the street (a sort of de facto turn lane) and went into the shop where the call for service apparently originated on this blustery, cold, windy night. The trouble seemed to be over, so I continued south into Charles Village.

There I observed a city officer working in uniform off-duty in one of Hopkins' "Campus Patrol" vehicles observing the scene at 32nd and St. Paul. Hopkins was careful to mark there cars with signage very similar to the logos on city police vehicles The streets were full of people (about 9pm), and it was a lively campus scene. Video Americain was crowded and well-lit.

The new condos/apartments in 3201 St. Paul were mostly dark (only a few have been sold), and on the west side of that block was the empty lot where rowhouses and stores used to be. Buz wondered why anyone would spend so much money on a condo there--unless you were working at Hopkins (and well paid, not a poor campus security guard).

Charles Village Safety Team

Apparently, they had their two community meetings regarding the CVCBD Safety Team and its possible future changes. Buz has learned that these meetings were not at all well-attended: 10 folks at one and 7 at the other. Apparently, the board is now soliciting community input via email.

Buz has lots of thoughts on the CVCBD; I spent 2, almost 3 years managing their Safety and Sanitation teams. It is difficult to make decisions on such a complex issue, without sophisticated input--and cannot be done in a method resembling Athenian democracy.

It is not clear at all on what the Benefits District will do now that it has divested itself of housing and economic development programs, and is attempting to concentrate on Safety and Sanitation.

We'll keep our eyes peeled on how this all turns out.

Crime tip of the day: Avoid night-time visits to ATMs!

Avoid using ATMs at night, if at all possible. Most of the time the user is highlighted in light, but anyone watching can be safely (for them) in the dark. If you live in North Baltimore and must use an ATM, Wolman Hall on Hopkins' campus at 34th Street is probably the safest around (though parking might be tough at times). It is inside, with a guard-staffed desk, and not easily visible from anyone outside--not to mention the fact that thug types would stand out in the area of Hopkins' dorms.

A second choice is the machine inside Whole Foods on Smith Avenue in Mt. Washington.