Three shot and killed right near my house - what can a guy do?
I'm sure you've all heard about the shootings in JP last night. Three guys were stabbed/shot, all of them died. A forth victim, a woman jogging by, was struck by a stray bullet but is OK now.
My question to y'all is this: what can we as citizens/neighbors do about it?
Honestly, that neighborhood is not known for these sort of issues. Although there are parts of JP that are better than others, it seems to be (at least it used to) be confined to a few distinct areas.
As a citizen, all you can do is be alert, observant, and report any suspicious activity to the police. Lock your doors at night, lock your car, and keep a cellphone on you at all times. That's pretty much all you can do.
Make sure your street has what it supposed to have such as street lights that work. Light is a great crime repellent and if there are bulbs out or a shortage of lights on the street then annoy the hell out of the city government (public works department). It's not fool proof but its a start. Keep your eyes open for other things like cleanliness where you can directly help. I nice area promotes activity which reduces crime. Good luck!
I'm sure you've all heard about the shootings in JP last night. Three guys were stabbed/shot, all of them died. A forth victim, a woman jogging by, was struck by a stray bullet but is OK now.
My question to y'all is this: what can we as citizens/neighbors do about it?
Arm yourselves, keep your eyes open, and dump politicians who don't support your right to self-defense.
I'm sure you've all heard about the shootings in JP last night. Three guys were stabbed/shot, all of them died. A forth victim, a woman jogging by, was struck by a stray bullet but is OK now.
My question to y'all is this: what can we as citizens/neighbors do about it?
notes Jamaica Plain, MA on the do not attend list.
but seriously. make the neighborhood a place they dont want to be.
rally for government funding.
increase lighting.
increase traffic of respectable people on the streets.
you ever worked in a retail store as a kid, and the manager told you, "if you walk up to a suspected shoplifter and offer to help them find what they are looking for. they will either get paranoid that you are on to them, and put it back and leave, or take your assistance kindly if they are in fact not shoplifting"
kinda like that.
a drug dealer doesnt want to be in a place where everybody knows him if he is up to no good.
and trust me, as a former practitioner i can tell you from experience, when a gang is on the move a quiet street where everybody is afraid to be outside of their house is a welcome environment.
but a neighborhood where everyone is out provides too many witnesses.
you dont want anybody watching where you are going, or what you are doing, or who you are hanging out with. all of that is submissable in a court of law.
so my suggestion, its your fu*king neighborhood, own that $h|T. get outside,
hey, how ya doing? are you lost?
can i help you find a specific destination?
are you new to the neighborhood?
also! hoodlums are people too ya know.
there was this woman. she called the cops on us (me and 10 or so of my friends)
after the cops left we (all 10 of us) walked up to her door to have a chat. she explained (wile pissing her pants) in a polite tone that she was worried about our fast cars, that they might endanger her kids.
i explained that i sympathized, children are a high priority, and next time she should come directly to us.
we walked away, and made a rule about no more burnouts or speeding infront of the house.
then there was this sweet old man accross that same street.
well wizard was chasing someone to hand out a beatdown.
i forget who, but it was all in good fun, no one went to the hospital or anything.
anyway, they caught a corner of the yard of this guy, and tore up some of his plants. this gentleman came to my house, and spoke to my mom (it was my house).
my mom had a talk with wizard (she was pretty much everyones mom)
he went immediately to that fellas house, apologized, and offered to pay to replant his yard.
there have been people in neighborhoods that have treated me well, and i have stressed to whomever i was with that, that person deserved respect.
it his a risky business talking to hoodlums, you have to choose your words careful sometimes.
but; less is more, be kind, be authoritative, offer help even if they dont look like they want it. this is YOUR place. they are a guest.
they dont know if you got a shotgun behind your door. and they dont know if "the next time they walk down that street, that gun might be pointing out from behind some closed curtains" but they do know that if a person hides behind police, or signs they automatically give up dominance.
own your land man. go be friendly.
you will make everyone in your neighborhood friendlier (which will outnumber the unfriendlies) and they will want to move to a place where they have a bit of a safer majority.
and if everybody, knows everybody in a neighborhood, then everybody knows when an outsider has entered.
one last thing, dont actually say "you dont know if i have a gun"
back in the day (im an upstanding citizen now) i used to say, if you say your going to hit a guy, you better be prepared to stab him, if you say your going to stab him, you better be prepared to shoot him, and if you say your going to shoot him, you better shoot to kill. and you better be willing to do it imediately. someone with no other options and no income, no choices in life, have nothing to loose. and nothing to bargain with, they live on threats, and bluffs, and they can smell a bluff.
so dont actually threaten a hood. just do it if your gonna.
i would stress that as a final alternative.
there was a woman in baltimore md who called the police on drug dealers right outside her house. the police came to her door, confirmed the suspects, then arrested them.
a week later, they got out of jail, came to that very same house, and burned it to the ground. she lost 2 family member in the fire.
if it were me i wouldnt hide, id strap on a handgun, and step outside.
id find a reason, i like a cigar every now and then.
i wouldnt actually show them that i have a gun, if they are up to no good, they will look for it.
step out, close the door behind me, and ask them for a light. "hey guys, you got a light? my lighter just went out, and i hate these matches" they may or may not help, but strike up smalltalk.
worst case scenario will most likely be they remember you as that cool cat who straps, and steps out for a cigar. i wouldnt talk about the no good they may or may not be up to, and wouldnt ask them to leave.
they will know next time that i have the capability, and they will never know if id be willing to use it.
but thats me.
ive been in the woods, and know the territory i guess.
ok guys, sorry to rant. i hope that it is at least entertaining, if not helpful.
im off to work.
btw,im 29, and i support cloud computing for a very large company, so dont assume that the desperate are unapproachable.
they are just desperate, and scared.
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