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
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
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).
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.
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.
A second choice is the machine inside Whole Foods on Smith Avenue in Mt. Washington.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Buz Crime Tip of the Day: Bank Deposits
Yesterday Buz had lunch at a small deli in a safe, undisclosed location. I noticed the woman owner "proudly" and openly put her coat on and carried her fancy, shmancy heavy zippered bank bag out the door in on her way to the bank. Perhaps she has done this for years and nothing has ever happened. And the deli is in a real nice area with only real nice people; and the bank is around the corner; the guard is "always" outside there; and she is tough.
Great to all of that, but: why take that risk with your hard-earned small business cash?
If you think you can't afford our friends at Dunbar Armored, no one should know you are going to the bank, or if you're going to the bank, and certainly not when you're going to the bank.
Buz remembers the sad case of one of the owners of City Cafe a few years ago, who was shot and killed when making a bank deposit.
Great to all of that, but: why take that risk with your hard-earned small business cash?
If you think you can't afford our friends at Dunbar Armored, no one should know you are going to the bank, or if you're going to the bank, and certainly not when you're going to the bank.
Buz remembers the sad case of one of the owners of City Cafe a few years ago, who was shot and killed when making a bank deposit.
Buz Crime Alert-burglaries in Pigtown
I've seen that our dear friend and Blogger Carol Ott had her place broken into the other day, a week or so after her neighbor's house got broken into. Don't have many details about it, except that it appears to be a growing trend: active burglars in some parts of the city. Pigtown's current wave started several weeks ago.
There has to be defense in depth against these cretins. Alarms are only one chink in the armor. Some neighborhoods, frankly, are not terribly defensible. The decent people go to work, and the thugs are watching and waiting. And no one is calling and no one is snitching. And the cops are in court or working night work to stop the shootings and killings--perhaps detailed to the Eastern and Western Districts. Daytime burglars rely on this lack of "natural surveillance".
I hope Carol can give me a call to discuss her situation. As one of Bmore's famous lawyer's said: "let's talk about it".
There has to be defense in depth against these cretins. Alarms are only one chink in the armor. Some neighborhoods, frankly, are not terribly defensible. The decent people go to work, and the thugs are watching and waiting. And no one is calling and no one is snitching. And the cops are in court or working night work to stop the shootings and killings--perhaps detailed to the Eastern and Western Districts. Daytime burglars rely on this lack of "natural surveillance".
I hope Carol can give me a call to discuss her situation. As one of Bmore's famous lawyer's said: "let's talk about it".
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