The Observation Deck

All

Safe, Clean, Fun

There is no reason to panic, but there is a reason to get ahead of the curve.

Safe - Lakewood Police are very effective. While Bill Call would have you think the police and fire are a bunch of lazy good for nothings. Please note, they were there before the car was 1/2 block away. Actually the police had been watching them while they played Chinese Fire Drill. The police levy that is being talked about is to get ahead of the curve and send a message to the whole county. Come here for a fun safe time.

Clean - We can do better, we all can do better.

Fun - This year I know of four groups that have formed just to make Lakewood more enjoyable and fun. One group has built what could best be called a fun engine, to help develop and nurture other community parties.

What happened at the Library the other night was no different from the greasers coming down from Augie's Pizza Shop to kick the Webb Pharmacy's ass for acting like idiots at a party. This event was 1971. Luckily it was decided to play football/approved violence to settle the score.

We have to come to grips and get proactive.

My promise to those that do, it will be interesting and even fun.


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It just occurred to me that we potentially have a built-in block watch waiting to be activated in smokers...

dl meckes wrote:It just occurred to me that we potentially have a built-in block watch waiting to be activated in smokers...

DL

This is a very good outcome from running smokers outside.

In "Death and Life of Great American Cities" Jane Jacobs point to local bar traffic as one of the things that make a city like Lakewood safer than others, because of the random coming and going of customers until closing. This makes "planned" acts of crime more unlikely.

With smokers standing outside, it should be safer.

Another interesting side-note is that the city looks very alive and vibrant.


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"Death and Life of Great American Cities" Jane Jacobs point to local bar traffic as one of the things that make a city like Lakewood safer than others

great book, I'm actually reading it right now.

How do we force the Mayor and City Council to read it?

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Lakewood Police are very effective.

Can't deny that. Just too few and stretched too thin from the looks of it. I can't quote statistics. I just see what I see with open eyes.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:What happened at the Library the other night was no different from the greasers coming down from Augie's Pizza Shop to kick the Webb Pharmacy's ass for acting like idiots at a party.

Maybe. But today I would think you are more likely to run into a thug with a gun than in 71.

You guys should be careful walking the streets at night. These thugs coming in from elsewhere are real. There may come a point where turning the other cheek doesn't work.

I like what Ken has been saying. I'd like to know more about it. The pro's and con's. What's it going to cost (don't tell me the cost of one pizza or a bottle of water either! ). How can we be sure the money is used only for that one purpose and so on.

By the way, when is the next walk? Can anyone go?

Joe/Brett

I would like to get Ken and Dan slife together for a meeting at Bela to discuss all of this.

Much could be tied together, but those to should speak on "Slaughter of Cities" which I am reading now, but they have much insight into. What we are seeing in Lakewood is not new, not random and not the fault of kids.

What we are seeing is one of the many steps in "regionalizing" Lakewood. A target for those with no vision and but a million excuses.

It would be nice to plug that into a series of discussion of the much attacked rarely understood Visionary Alignment for Lakewood. Part of this vision is the Observer, the Library, Lakewood Catholic Academy, Cafe University, Community Currency, Food Security Network(LEAF), Bike Lakewood, Lakewood is Art, etc.

A simple low cost very effective way to make Lakewood stand out from the rest.

Come on people, this in not rocket surgery.


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Hey chiefs.
I would be interested in learning more of what commercial property owners can do to make things less desirable to the creeps.
Do security lights work?
Play Mozart on the sidewalk.
Things are pretty mellow around the dubby but i would be up for keeping them that way.

john crino wrote:Hey chiefs.
I would be interested in learning more of what commercial property owners can do to make things less desirable to the creeps.
Do security lights work?
Play Mozart on the sidewalk.
Things are pretty mellow around the dubby but i would be up for keeping them that way.

Good lighting at night and people out on the street, I think those are the two best things to keep the troublemakers at bay in the evening.

john crino wrote:Play Mozart on the sidewalk.

Yes.

Holly C. Whisman wrote:

john crino wrote:Play Mozart on the sidewalk.

Yes.

No. Play live Bob Dylan stuff. His latest stuff. That'll keep them away. I have a bunch if you need it.

Curfew.

Just had my best friends 14 year old brother busted for curfew. I guess Lakewood took on the new curfew like Cleveland and other cities of 9pm for kids 14 and under.

that's a good head start. I think if we keep the middle school kids off the streets when its dark, you'll see taggings, theft, vandalism, trespassing and noise go down significantly.

Those kids I tell ya. I thought my grade was bad when we were in middle school...

Ivor Karabatkovic wrote:Just had my best friends 14 year old brother busted for curfew.

The parents should be busted and held responsible. Not the kid.

Joe Ott wrote:

Ivor Karabatkovic wrote:Just had my best friends 14 year old brother busted for curfew.

The parents should be busted and held responsible. Not the kid.

They both should be. Only busting the parent doesn't teach the kid accountability for their actions.

that's why Maple Heights issues either a fine and it goes on the kids record, or the parents can take responsibility and take classes on parenting and the childs record won't be touched.

In this case, it was 1030pm and they were coming home from ice skating at winterhurst. They were supposed to be picked up by a friends mother, or so we were told.

I think inforcement of curfews will help this city out a ton. Not a day goes by where I hear or see annoying little middle school kids screaming and running up and down detroit and madison. Get them inside when the street lights come home, so that they're not out and being watched.

Oh and I'd like to correct myself;

The curfew is 9:30.