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02/17/05 It's not like our kids
aren't getting shot.
This week a little boy was shot in the stomach by a stray bullet from some thugs
pretending to be tough bad guys. They are bad guys, but they are cowards.
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Boy wounded in drive-by shooting
07:38 AM CST on Wednesday, February 16, 2005
By Cynthia Vega / WFAA-TV |
Dallas police say
an 8-year-old boy was the victim of a drive-by shooting.
The child was wounded Tuesday night when a bullet pierced
the wall of his Northwest Dallas apartment in the 11000 block of Dennis
Road. The bullet hit the boy in the side and exited through his stomach.
... Apartment residents told police they heard
multiple gunshots in the parking lot shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. According
to witnesses, two groups of people had been arguing outside prior to the
shooting.
Police said the incident appears to
be related to ongoing feuds and problems in the neighborhood at Northaven
Road and Dennis Road. |
I'm taking this a little
personally because this apartment is not too far from my home, and I drive past
it everyday on my route to work. I'm also just sick of most of the crime
in area happening on or near all the rundown and over-populated apartments in NW
Dallas. It is just wrong for children to be living in those environment.
It is also wrong for Our Mayor to bite an extended hand from a group that wants
to help us. I don't like vigilantes, but I love Crime Watch volunteers who
watch out for their neighborhoods. It's hard to have effective Crime Watch
groups in apartments. It's hard to have safe neighborhoods if there are
nearby apartments.
| I like Guardian Angels
because they take young men and women who
might be future gang members and teach them to watch out for others -- not to
abuse others. |
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JC:
Amen! |
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Putting a red beret on a kid with too much time on his hands
is a very proactive thing.
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Guardian Angels leader, team to meet city leaders
08:35 PM CST on Tuesday, February 15, 2005
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News |
Like him
or not, Guardian Angels leader Curtis Sliwa is visiting Dallas this weekend
with leaders of his citizen street patrol operation in hopes of founding a
chapter in this, one of the nation's highest-crime large cities.
... "We're ready to get some efforts under way,"
he said, noting that about a dozen Dallas residents so far have committed to
joining a new chapter. "We're not the panacea, but we're an antidote."
... Council member Gary Griffith, the Public
Safety Committee's vice chairman, said an Angels presence in Dallas could
cause more trouble than it's worth.
"It's probably not the best time for
them to come to Dallas," Mr. Griffith said. "
... Mayor Pro Tem John Loza and council member
Steve Salazar say they look forward to meeting with Angels' leaders, as does
council member Elba Garcia, chairman of the council's Public Safety
Committee.
Police Chief David Kunkle says he's
willing to meet with them, too.
Dr. Garcia said, "If Mr. Sliwa shows
me a plan, what he wants to do, I don't have a problem. I have to be open, I
have to be responsive. It's part of my job."
... "The last thing we need
is for them to come down and have our crime statistics go up," the
mayor said earlier. "Everywhere they've gone, they've created more
controversy than they've done to solve crime."
... "If people are thinking like the mayor did,
they're mistaken. I just ask that city leaders have an open mind. Don't jump
to conclusions."
His Angels carry no weapons, only radios. But members aren't shy about
making citizen arrests ? typically a rarely employed but legal right to
detain a crime suspect until police arrive. ....
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Exactly how much higher could
our crime statistics go?
I'm not the only one who would like to see young men and women in red berets
walking around our troubled neighborhoods.
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To: Honorable Mayor and City
Council-- 2-16-2005
Dallas City Council
SUBJECT: Guardian Angels Arrive In Dallas
Reference: Widespread News Coverage / Dallas 2-16-2005
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Hello Council Members:
The 25 years of service and chapters in multitudes of large cities across
America have proved that the Guardian Angels are VERY effective at what they
do --reduction of crime in tough areas and citizen piece of mind.
Some in Dallas City government have been stating that the Angels produce
more problems than cures. NOT SURE where that noise comes from --- and it
is not substantiated in the numerous media articles recently reviewed across
America. Most citizens of New York City appreciate the work the Angels
perform, and their crime rate (per capita ) is lower than that of Dallas.
Just this week, a Grand Prairie patrol officer interrupted an assault on a
juvenile in a parking lot. GREAT! If Dallas does not have the patrol staff
to check alleys and parking lots, then leave it up to the Angels. They will
find problems and report them to officials before the incidents become
after-the-fact events. And --DART Rail surely needs more security on board
and in parking lots. The Angels may also interrupt some crimes before they
become "incident reports". Remember.. many incident reports create the
opportunity for Dallas to become "2005 Highest Crime City, per capita".
It is not fair to tout that the Guardian Angels would create too many
problems for Dallas. Does that infer that Dallas is DIFFERENT than other
large crime ridden cities? Those statements should be substantiated before
being made, and would have to be weighed against all the "good" that is
achieved by Angel Chapters.
Time for the officials of Dallas to do some homework.
Regards,
Rad Field, Council District 11 |
As usual, Rad Field is on the
right side. Here's another.
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I am a resident of lh 1076 and have owned my home
in our area since 1966. Today, while returning home after work, I listened
to Shawn Hannity on 820AM radio. Much to my amazement he introduced Curtis
Sleiwa the man who started Guardian Angels. I learned that this weekend the
Guardian Angels will be in Dallas - walking through lower Greenville, Deep
Ellum, South Dallas, and West Dallas. I also know that they have been
invited to start a group in Dallas and that our mayor Laura Miller thinks
they are thugs and she does not want them here.
I have worked with low income people
from south, west, and central Dallas - in the food service business - for
35+ years. I hear about the crime and about the drugs, and how afraid the
women are living where they do.
If you have never worked with these
folks you may not have any idea how much they need help. They want to live
in a safe neighborhood just like you and me. The difference is that they do
not have the political and economic clout that you and I have.
S0 - I am asking that you write to
the city council and the mayor - anyone you can think of to express your
support of the Guardian Angels. Our city will be all the better for it.
(By the way - he will be calling on the mayor this upcoming Tuesday.)
Jane Webber |
Let's extend a welcoming hand
to this group who wants to extend to us a helping hand.
sb
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