no more parks in ghettos?

[spooky]

i was thinking about high crime areas and had a thought.....

if kids in a normal city park get hurt on city playground equipment, the city is often found liable. extending that thought another step further, if its a high crime area, if a kid is hurt from a crime taking place in a park, should a city be held liable?

if gangs violence and drugs are common place in a neighborhood, its pretty common that parks become a hotspot for crime, as its a public place criminals have to meet and conduct business. look at any map with individual crimes mapped out(the savannah paper has a map in the back where you can see where each individual crime takes place, and probably 90% of the violent crime happens in and around parks). if a city knows this, allowing a park is just putting the neighborhood kids at risk.

i know that parks are said to have beneficial effects to neighborhoods, but are they worth the risk to our kids? would we be better off eliminating public gathering spots in high crime areas, giving police the ability to use gatherings of suspicious people as a reason for questioning/detainment? maybe we could move the parks directly adjoining police stations, to ensure that only kids are using them as the are intended.....

nevermind the fact that parents should be keeping track of/raising their kids, its already proven they dont for the most part, and the kids usually end up being the problem themselves, or the next generation of prison residents. so i take a democratic view and say that the responsibility should be taken away and the government should step in.

any thoughts?

[POON_4x4]

Originally Posted by spooky

would we be better off eliminating public gathering spots in high crime areas, giving police the ability to use gatherings of suspicious people as a reason for questioning/detainment?

The police in my town already do that. There is a certain park downtown that is a hot area for prostitues and drug-dealers. If you drive down the street that runs adjacent to the park, an unmarked car automatically follows you and takes down your plate numbers.

I agree for the most part. The government should step in and handle things. I don't like to call it the "Democrat approach", just the "Kick them the fuck out" approach.

[DanClass]

ever seen the effects of locals taking back those parks? you get pissed off locals just standing out there and the gang bangers go elsewhere

is there a way to incentivize that behavior?

you want a nice park , then you keep it nice and stop watching Donahue all day on dish network and mowing down on gub'ment cheese

you keep crime out the parks and BAM you get a god damn water slide or somethin'

some city counselman here suggested a couple years back that we put snipers on the rooftops to deter gang tagging

i dont know what that has to do with anything, but it's funny

my roomate and i wanted to get birthcontrol darts to fire on the crowds at martigras in Mobile

i think those parks are a great "fuck you" to criminals if they can hold the ground but damn it's difficult

[spooky]

Originally Posted by DanClass

my roomate and i wanted to get birthcontrol darts to fire on the crowds at martigras in Mobile

wow, wheres team danClass, youre my new hero. thats fucking brilliance on a level rarely seen.....

seriously, though, should a city be held liable if it builds a new park in a high crime area, knowing it will be another place criminals cavort? a place where citizens will be assaulted? i think people that get raped should be able to sue the city. people that get robbed, beaten, murdered.

i bet the city locks that shit down pretty quick when theres money on the line. or gets rid of the parks altogether, either way, im sure crime will go down.

is a place for your kid to play worth more than someones life?

[spooky]

Originally Posted by spaceboy

Where I live the response to the rising crime rate was to ban tinted windows although the sniper idea seems pretty interesting.

thats a tactic to be able to stop suspicious ghetto dwellers and examine the interior of the car even if they arent doing anything suspicious. im all for stuff like this on local levels. spinners, racing style rims, racing style mufflers, large decals, lowered vehicles, hydrolics, and metal flake paint should all be included as well. rebel flags, camo paint jobs, and rust holes as well. slippery slope? i dont think so! its all just a legal reason to give the cops the ability to prevent crime!

[POON_4x4]

Originally Posted by DanClass

my roomate and i wanted to get birthcontrol darts to fire on the crowds at martigras in Mobile

Regular or Extra-Strength darts?

[POON_4x4]

Originally Posted by spooky

...camo paint jobs, and rust holes as well.

I'm fucked then.

[DanClass]

Originally Posted by spooky

i bet the city locks that shit down pretty quick when theres money on the line. or gets rid of the parks altogether, either way, im sure crime will go down.

is a place for your kid to play worth more than someones life?

cities won't build parks in the hood

i dont see crime going down, but criminals going someplace else

don't criminals like to hang out on school land? i wonder how the stiffer penalties for dealing dope on school grounds effects overall crime rates

i think parks should be treated like school grounds if those tactics are effective

i feel like if we take these places away it just contributes to the sense of hopelessness these kids grow up with


you send a message that there are no combat zones; you break THAT law and as a society we will hurt you bad

[DanClass]

Originally Posted by POON_4x4

I'm fucked then.

you just can't hang out at the parks

unless you're coconut then it's no big

[Rhian]

This is a topic I am so passionate about. Most of you know, this is my workplace. I must admit though that I am on the fence. Take away the parks, the gangs go somewhere else. Keep the parks, it breeds shady action. Where do the kids go out to play? But then again, they come to me and I have to dispose of the crack pipes they find. My first thought is to take away the parks - takes yet something else of enjoyment for the families who have nothing.

You can only beef up patrols so much, and unless someone calls in suspicious activity in the parks. However alot of people in these communities don't call police because they are doing something shady themselves - drugs, selling or buying, shoplifing/petty theft/hell - even keeping extra people in the house but not adding them to the lease to keep rent cheap.

There was just a verdict in the firebombing trial. This is a perfect example: Mom has boyfriend, boyfriend molests kids, mom gets a posse together to get the guy, the guy gets retribution by throwing molotov cocktails killing the kids. If she had just called the cops in the first place...

We also turned down a community garden initiative because we know the gangs and even just the bad kids would rip it out. Seems to be a 'don't rat on me, I won't rat on you' mentality.

Desperation comes in many forms - I would hate to see a place for kids to go out and play be taken away.

As far as responsability goes, yes the city parks and recreation are responsable. Technically, I am in community and protective services so parks is a different beast altogether. With recent events however (if you recall my swat experience etc). I have seen alot more patrols in the area much more often and we have an undercover patrol also.

There are many choices they can make to get out, they just don't do it. They continue to have babies so their welfare and baby bonus cheques get bigger. They get stuck in that rut because maybe they got knocked up and thrown out at 14 - with no life skills, and not willing to look at services that are there to help and the cycle continues.

I love the community, I want these kids to succeed with the programs we offer and encourage them to look outside of their hellhole.

Sorry this was so long.