Tuesday, November 16, 2010
A dreary rainy day with nary a soul about. You had your choice of parking spots up and down the street . . . We spent the day decorating. The place is starting to look quite festive . . . People are beginning to refer to Harrisburg as "Detroit City" and with good reason. The weekend brought midtown a home invasion, a kidnapping/car-jacking, a mugging in which a young lady was bound with duct tape and a shooting out on the hill. Truly, this is not a safe place after dark and I am beginning to wonder about the daylight as well. It is time to let the mayor and city council know how we feel; hope our various neighborhood organizations mount a campaign soon. And I was not joking about the National Guard. Whatever it takes . . . "The Kid" is on vacation this week and for some reason I have missed him terribly so last night's telephone call was especially welcome. He rattled on at some length about the plane ride and other things which I didn't always comprehend. "Sure are a lot of coconut trees around here" was one of the items I understood. But the sign-off was heart-warming: "I love you and I will be home on Friday" . . . Bob has made sure that there are Tootsie Rolls awaiting . . .
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ReplyDeleteWe sent the following email to Patty Kim, Harrisburg City Councilwomen, at kimpatty@hotmail.com. We might suggest other neighbors email her with their concerns. Something must be done to preserve our neighborhood!!!
ReplyDeleteDear Ms. Kim,
We are writing to you as both concerned residents and homeowners of Harrisburg. Within the last few months, the Capital and Midtown areas of the city have been plagued with a rash of crimes including assaults and robberies with deadly weapons. In just the past few days, two events occurred within a block of our home in the Capital area. These events were not late night occurrences, but happened in the early evening when people normally return home from work or park in our neighborhood to use the facilities at the Y. This is a time of the evening when it should be safe to walk from your parked car to your home but recent events show that criminal activity is present even then. This is alarming and unacceptable.
This crime spree is beginning to greatly impact the city and quality of life here in Harrisburg. A major reason why we chose to buy a house in downtown Harrisburg was the convenience of being able to walk to a variety of establishments (i.e. restaurants, art galleries, the Broad Street market). That luxury is now becoming a dangerous venture. We are not alone in feeling this way. We have neighbors that have dramatically changed their patterns of daily life out of fear of the criminal element. For example, instead of walking a few blocks to attend church, some neighbors now drive. Other long-term residents have put their homes up for sale and specifically cite the recent crime spree as the catalyst for their actions. The amenities of downtown Harrisburg that make it such a nice place to live are being quickly dissolved by this criminal activity.
The crime spree was addressed at the CAN meeting in September. At that time, promises were made of an increase of police presence in our neighborhood, and yet the crime continues. To make matters worse, we feel that the Mayor’s office has made little effort to address this problem publicly. We understand the city is in a state of financial crisis but one of the chief responsibilities of the Mayor’s office is to ensure the safety of the city’s residents. Instead of sending a forceful message that this behavior will not be tolerated in Harrisburg, the administration seems to have turned a blind eye on the topic.
We enjoy living in Harrisburg but are afraid of the fallout if this crime spree continues (i.e. long-term residents leaving, loss of small businesses, and reduced quality of life). As our city council member who has supported our neighborhood in the past, we ask for your help in addressing this matter and bringing our concerns to the Mayor’s office. This problem will not just resolve itself. Resolution will require public recognition and forceful action from our City’s officials. We thank you in advance for listening and responding to our concerns.
Respectfully yours,
Mary Ann and Rick May
Rick,
ReplyDeleteI've forwarded your e-mail to the chair of public safety and the police chief. I'm going to meet with the chief in the very near future and let you know what came out of it.
Patty Kim