I arrived at the meeting place @ about 9:50 and I figured I was going to have to stand through the meeting, boy was I wrong. There were about 12 citizens present, and 8 civil servants (I think) that's close anyway.
Mr Todd started out the meeting with a very good start, he seamed genuinely concerned about the crime spree we are experiencing. He read a passage and ended his stand with "we must work together" "we must stop the blame game"
Mayor Mike McDermott was present and was the next to chair. He made his concerns and opinions in a short but sweet apology stating that he works on Saturday mornings and apologized for not being present at the previous meetings but stated his council is at the meetings and they are able to brief him. The Mayor stated that "a lot of our problems are from transient people" and "Pocomoke crime is down 20% and juvenile crime is down some 70%".
Chief Irvin talked about pretty normal business as usual stating officer duties, patrols etc. and he asked about organizing a citizen group that could have block parties and that would be interested in forming groups the same things that didn't work in years past. Irvin went on to say "it's unfortunate that we had 2 murders but the town as a whole is safe"
From the audience Mr Todd commented "crime watch groups are now pass'e" and "the police can't do everything"
Now here is where we start going south, it seams that the audience decided that they want to just take over, Carroll Overholt had raised his had until I'm sure he got tired of holding up, he did finally get a chance to speak and boy did he let it go which I'll get into later.
From the audience; Sorry I do not know the ladies name but she asked about junk and trash in peoples yards I thought oh no here we go on this and boy was I right, the Chief explained that the city has codes and that they towed some 60 (I think) vehicles just a short time ago and explains the standards that the city tries to maintain. The lady then says that "the cities standard is not as high as hers" and she goes on to say "I call city hall so much that Harvey Davis knows me personally" This went on for quite some time with some comments about about youth activities discussion thrown in from time to time like we do not have anything for our young ones to do, you know the same'ol same'ol.
At this point they discussed what kind of tools they would use to pick up trash, where they would start to pick up the trash what time they would start to pick up the trash etcedra etcedra.
And then it happened, The Mayor, from the audience, offered the statement "there's nothing worse to the black people than white people picking up trash in their yard" at which point Mr Todd says "wait a minuet, I think that's a racist thing to say"
The statement was addressed and it was determined that no one was offended.
Mr Todd says "I want to make something clear, I'm not saying that the Mayor is racist, I'm saying the statement was a racist thing to say"
At this point things were a little bit quieter and Carrol Overholt finally was able to make his statement after patiently waiting with his hand up for I really don't know how long.
Overholt says we lost a very good officer in Lt. Martin Koerner and then he makes it very clear that he did not believe that crime is down in Pocomoke and say that crime is up in Pocomoke.
Overholt went on to demand that the city call and/or sit down and talk to Lt. Martin Koerner and find out why he quit the department.
Overholt says "that for the Chief to stand up and say that our crime is down is a travesty" Overholt states that "Pocomoke City is more dangerous per capita than Salisbury.
Overholt says he is becoming afraid to let his wife and child come into the city alone. Mr Overholt was extremely passionate about everything he he stated today and anyone there should know he means business.
Mr Overholt ended by recommending that all at the meeting read The Pocomoke Public Eye to see the crime report.
(UPDATED) sorry it was late when I wrote this and I left out a few things from my notes.
Marty Pusey was in attendance and she said a few rhetorical things but ended in "we have become disfranchised" "disenfranchised families" "disenfranchised children"
Lynn Duffy spoke and thanked the council and she also did a most honorable thing saying she will donate 750 hours of her time to get things going.
The Chief said that they have installed a light @ 4th and Bonneville because he said at any given time "there would be 20 to 30 people standing on that corner" the Chief said they have 2 more cameras on order, one to be placed @ 6th and Bank st. the other is to be placed @ the middle school basketball court the Chief says that the cameras should be up in about two months.
I never did ask my question so I'll ask it here ......what the heck does picking up trash have to do with preventing crime?
The next meetings are
Oct. 16th @ 9:00am to start picking up trash
Nov. 13th @ 10:00am Landlord meeting both at the same church
27 comments:
Looks like Carroll is getting fed up with the status quo around here and who can really blame him. This time, however, he has nothing to lose and can afford to piss off anyone he wants just by telling the truth. I have a feeling that a few more stories will be coming out in the next few months about happenings in Pocomoke that will shake the establishment.
Why don't the young ones who don't have anything to do pick up the trash? Better yet why don't the people who LIVE in the junk and trash filled properties clean it up themselves. I have a ton of leaves to rake and I'm not expecting someone who doesn't live in my house to help!
Did anyone ask any questions pertaining to the crime problem itself? Questions such as why the courts aren't more proactive in preventing the violent crimes by keeping the repeat offenders behind bars?
On another note, I heard there was a big to do in Newark last night. Helicopter was called out. Anyone know what went on?
Maybe this isn't the place for my rant but I'm sorry and didn't know where else to post.
In the past years I've noticed alot of the homeless shelters in Wor/Wic/Som counties were in some cases the most rundown and ill kept homes in the neighborhood. Nothing major but dirty windows, sidewalks unswept, weeds growing everywhere and paint peeling.
Also what I noticed, were the residents always sitting outside at picnic tables smoking. I often wondered why they didn't pitch in to spruce up their homes for the time being.
Finally earlier this year I decided to ask a director of one of these places and DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE TOLD ME?
The "clients" they serve have already been "demoralized" enough so they don't ask them to do the work but have volunteers who do it!!!!!
Not too long ago a local shelter was online asking for a volunteer to do housekeeping at their shelter! There is something seriously wrong with this picture.
I find it odd that Mr Overhold is out and about everywhere demanding this meeting between the office who quit and the council.
Why isn't the office himself out and about demanding this meeting?
That was Diakonia near Ocean City who had the volunteer housekeeper needed. My friend who was looking for a job saw it and forwarded it to me.
We too thought it was amazing that these places need volunteers to do housekeeping. This is the same place that keeps coming to the commisoners every year wanting money and usually gets it.
It's not demoralizing to let the people in the shelters earn their keep. Actually it should make them feel better for not being a sponge. There is nothing better than the feeling of accomplishment after a hard days work!
Take the kid's off the street with nothing to do besides harrass people or sell crack on the corner and let them be the volunteers for the demoralized.
Speaking of the kid's having nothing to do. Doesn't Pocomoke have a grand skate park and a Discovery Center? Why aren't the kids utilizing these things?
Gee when I was a kid I didn't ever say that I didn't have anything to do becuase my parents always found something for me to do. Most often it was work around the house or yard!
RE 9:07
yes those questions were brought up but not much of any answers, someone did mention that Mr Todd has explained that here on the PPE
as for as the Helicopter I do not know what happened but I heard the Helicopter pass over Pocomoke at exactly 2:00am
Keeping neighborhoods clean and the relation to crime is based on the Broken Windows theory. A successful strategy for preventing vandalism is to fix problems when they are small. Repair the broken windows within a short time and the tendency is that vandals are much less likely to break more windows or do further damage. Clean up the sidewalk every day, and the tendency is for litter not to accumulate. Problems do not escalate and thus respectable residents do not flee a neighborhood. Whether the theory always holds true I don't know, but it's a start to fostering a sense of community, and it's never bad to clean up trash.
What I'd like to know is this:
McDermott claims he has worked every Saturday and that's why he never made one of these crime meetings before, but I saw him at a Berlin festival not long ago at the very same time a meeting was taking place.
So I would like to know the truth about why he hasn't come to a meeting before?
Anon 2:07. I agree with the Broken Window theory. I believe that if everyone in each neighborhood took time to do one small thing in their area daily that this may help to keep crime down.
What I fail to understand is why the Mayor being at these meetings seems to be on everyone's mind. He wasn't, hasn't been, but was there for the past meeting. Why can't you people get past that, suck it up and go onto the matters that really seem to plague Pocomoke....such is crime, drugs, etc.
What needs to be on your minds is what has been accomplished in any of these meetings. Stop nit picking. It won't change a thing.
I don't know if I'm buying into this Broken Window theory. It appears that the folks who show up don't even live in the blighted neighborhoods to begin with. Personally I don't buy into the disenfranchised arguement. It's pure laziness and I just don't care attitudes. Why should these people learn to fish when the fish are given to them? Maybe Dr Lynn has some answers and can help as I believe the root of these problems begins at home.
was the city manager present? if so, what did he say, if not, why wasn't he present.
I guess putting up campaign signs on the corner of market and old va rd constitues working on saturday mornings/ whole lot of BS was flying at that meeting.
I can't understand why all the harping on what politicans were at the meetings and which ones weren't either, jmmb.
All the problems facing Pocomoke City revert back to lack of morals. It's not a politicans job to teach morals.
That's a job for the home and the church.
The police's duty is to enforce the laws made by the legislature. The state's attorney's job is to make sure justice has been served. The city manager's job is to oversee the city department heads.
No where is any of the job description require them to teach respect and morals to those committing these crimes. And God Forbid they try. Everyone would be screaming about how they are now telling everyone how to live.
Kids as young as 10 are seen hanging out in the streets. Were their parents or guardians in attendance at the crime meetings? That's who needs to come not politicians or city officials. It's not the job of the politicans or officials to tell children to pick up a piece of trash and put it in the trash can when they see it.
It's terrible to feel defeated but I can't help but thinking a majority of those in a certain age group have already been lost to the steets, drugs, alcohol and crime. Maybe it would help to concentrate on the young single mothers w/infants and toddlers? Teach these young mother's that manners do matter and the golden rule and to be good steward's of the blessings they are given.
WHO is going to teach them??
It isn't that these mothers don't know how to tend to their children.....child rearing is hard work. It is a 24/7 job.
I believe in almost all cases the mothers DO know deep down all those things but like you said it's "hard work."
We are of a generation (and have been for some time) where mother's think too much of having a good time themselves. Then there's that saying I see all over the kid's facebook and myspace about how life's too short not to have fun.
In the real world life's too short to not make something of yourself while you are young and still can so you don't end up living on welfare and in government subsidized housing.
10:56:00pm Sez...."I have a feeling that a few more stories will be coming out in the next few months about happenings in Pocomoke that will shake the establishment."
Hmmmmmm......Wonder if the "national media" will be here ;) ;) ;)
The Broken Windows theory isn't really up for debate as it is a proven theory fro criminology. If you fix a broken window right after it's broken, paint over graffiti immediately, even if you have to do it a half dozen times it will stop. People vandalism because they see no consequence and that no one will do anything about it. When someone does something about it, the equation changes.
And landlord meeting? What a joke. The slumlords don't care as long as they get paid. I've seen the substandard conditions people live in, tiny apartments in cut up homes. I don't think they can make any more, but they should follow in Salisbury's footsteps and try to get rid of the ones that exist!
If the city enforced property codes that would fulfill the broken windows theory. Crumbling (or non-existant...) sidewalks and decrepit houses breed crime. Yet the city does nothing. There's not even incentives to put sidewalks in. The most they do is cite for a pile of trash... Get tough on property maintenance and crime will go down. It's a simple proven theory that our town ignores.
Not to mention the cops. How come any time another agency comes in they immediately make multiple arrests for possession, yet our own police aren't able to do the same?
When they tried this in Baltimore in the late 80's early 90's the city got stuck with 100's of abandoned houses the owners quit paying taxes on. Consequently Baltimore City property taxes went through the roof. The owners couldn't afford to keep repairing what the tennants kept on destroying, paying taxes, rental fees, insurance including liablity, fines for code violations due to tennant's faults and chasing after the deadbeat tennants.
Alot of the criminals then moved out of the city causing certain areas like Halethrope, Dundalk and Brooklyn once the home of hard working blue collar families to become crime havens.
Everyone is missing one of the main components of the Broken Window theory. And that is arresting and "throwing the book" at the less serious crimes knowing they lead to the more violent crimes.
When Giuliani insisted that the police make more misdemeanor arrests and insisted the courts prosecute those minor crimes it lowered the crime in NY.
Put the Guiliani plan in operation here! Oh, I forgot, we don't have a crime problem here. The Mayor and Chief both said so last Saturday. Three homicides this year. Salisbury has had six homicides this year and their population is six times more than ours. Figure that math out!
Just look at the criminal records of those who committed these murders, 9:56 am. Why in the world we they allowed to be free walking amoung us?
12:39, we had a chance to get the murder victim for theft not long ago but the police department persuaded the victim not to file charges if the property was returned. Momma brought the property back and her son gets off. Wonder what she would do if she had it to do over.
1:48 that goes to more often than not these "victims" themselves are engaged in behaviours that deem them at risk for a violent demise.
This in turn has given rise to the 90% of so of law biding citzens not caring.
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