National Night Out July 29, 2008
Posted by besachan in Events, Resources.Tags: Add new tag, block watches, Events, neighborhood
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National Night Out (NNO) is holding its 25th annual nationwide celebration this coming Tuesday, August 5th, 2008. It is a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW).
From their website: ‘Last year’s National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 10,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, over 35 million people participated in National Night Out 2007.’
The GOALS of National Night Out are to
*Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
*Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;
*Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
*Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
Communities celebrate NNO by leaving their porch lights on throughout the night and joining together with thieir Neighbors and Blocks to ‘celebrate’ many different activities, including block parties, cookouts, picnics, and other neighborhoods events.
Some local NNO celebrations include:
Hill District;
Oakland; and
Beechview
Just last friday, the Tribune-Review published an article encourgaing communities to start block watches – you can use next Tuesday’s Nationwide Celebration to generate momentum in your neighborhood.
For local information or support, contact one of National Night Out’s local PIttsburgh Community Organizer’s:
Marlene Jackson of the Dinwiddie Community Alliance at dinwiddie_comm-alliance(at)yahoo.com, or
Lt. Nelson Mitchell of the Port Authority Police at nmitchell(at)portauthority.org
Enjoy your National Night Out!
Keep your family safe in the neighborhood July 10, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: family, neighborhood, strategies
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Some public safety resources for families:
- National Sex Offender Registry. Find offenders living near your home. Keeping in mind that you are prohibited from using this information to harass or intimidate, it is important to be aware of your surroundings (and your family’s surroundings).
- Tips for neighborhood safety. For adults, from the National Crime Prevention Council.
- Tips for neighborhood safety. For organizations, from the Pew Center’s Solutions for America.
- Stay safe in the neighborhood. A guide for kids featuring Scruff McGruff the Crime Dog. (Scruff, McGruff, Chicago, Illinois, Six-oh-six-five-two… and help take a bite out of crime.)
Building connections July 9, 2008
Posted by besachan in Resources.Tags: hotspot, neighborhood, strategies
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Over the last 2 years, a significant number of neighborhood and place-based websites have sprung up. Many of which serve as information and communication hubs in their respective communities. By going to these sites and selecting a ‘tag’ on the far column such as’public safety’, ‘neighborhood safety’, ‘crime’, ‘police’, etc., we can see all of the posts, opinions, and conversations surrounding public safety of other groups in Pittsburgh - what are the public safety issues that our neighbors are talking about, do they have any hotspots, and even, what strategies are they using to solve them? Two such places are the blog for the 15211 zipcode and also the Pittsburgh Dish.
Keep it clean July 2, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Events.Tags: clean-up, neighborhood, volunteering
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Are you familiar with the broken window theory? In their famous 1982 article “Broken Windows,” James Wilson and George Kelling wrote:
Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside.
Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars.
Keeping your neighborhood clean and attractive are two of the most crucial steps toward keeping it safe. Renew Pittsburgh, a volunteer group committed to just what it calls itself, is taking this matter into its own hands and organizing a series of neighborhood clean-up days through the rest of the summer.
Click here to see when Renew Pittsburgh will be in your neighborhood. For questions, comments, or to volunteer, contact Kevin Acklin, Renew Pittsburgh’s executive director, at (412) 404-6630 or at Kevin (at) RenewPittsburgh.com
