Where am I?

Where am I?
The view from here

Doorway

Doorway
Where is it? Is it in your neighborhood?

Gino

Gino
Corner of Haight and Octavia

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Changed, Changing Hayes Valley

At the Public Safety meeting in Hayes Valley, I was able to see all the diversity of my neighborhood squeezed into one place. I greatly underestimated the wide-range of people living in my beat. And I had said it was diverse.

Attendance was high, filling the room. Passion was high, and many spoke. Yet, public safety wasn't the topic for long. The residence, who dominated the meeting with questions, dug deeper than the publics' safety, and moved on to why the public was unsafe.

It's a lack of community involvement on the part of the police, many said. They don't know what their doing or how they should do it.

Suggestions ranged from community outreach and better communication to a mandate forcing 86 percent of police officers to live in the area they work. The latter being illegal, Captain Ann Mannix made some suggestions.

We're trying to create more beats cops, who can walk their area and be more accessible for questions, she said. Also, we're trying to keep the same officers patrolling the same neighborhoods.

Much more happened during this meeting, and I'll cover it in my meeting story. These meetings have proven to be an indispensable source of information and sources.

For me, blurring the line between journalist and intrigued youth has been the best place to write from. Also, these meetings are mostly small and organized by only a couple people, so staying after and helping put away chairs is a great way to talk and get a foot inside.

Yep.

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