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I agree with you.
I agree with you. I remember when I first found the blog this winter and was reading some old posts about the "Open Air Drug Market" and was terrified. I wondered what I had done by moving here and pondered selling my condo before summer. Now that I've spent my first summer here, I can say that it was not bad at all (despite the intense heat and humidity!), and certainly not what I expected based on reading those posts. Has the neighborhood changed that much in a year? Perhaps. Most likely, the description of the drug trade in Mt. Hope caught my attention for the way it was described, and maybe exaggerated a bit, for we all know it does exist here.
It's a difficult issue, chronicling the crime that occurs here in Mt. Hope on the blog. It does serve a purpose, it highlights the fact crime still goes on all day, every day and there are people who live here that are not going to tolerate it. The blog gives them a voice, a way to participate, to fight back against the criminals. On the other hand, it may serve to deter people from moving here. It was an issue that came up surrounding Ellen's letter to ProJo. Is it better to shed light on the crime here, the everyday struggles we all face, or should we shut up and hope the real estate market turns the neighborhood around?
I'm certain everyone has their views on this. Personally, I would move into this neighborhood knowing there was petty crime here (which, I should note, I did not), but also knowing there were people here who are devoted to getting rid of it. That was the one thing that kept me going after my "Open Air Drug Market" discovery, knowing that I wasn't the only one here who wanted to see an end to it. I agree, we need like minded neighbors to move into this area, but we also need to look out for the ones that are already here.
That being said, I think the blog does have a slant toward highlighting crime and it would be great to see it more balanced. The key is to have people contribute in a positive manner as well, not just as a place to come to complain when they've been broken into.
-Jen
Posted at September 27, 2005 01:31 PM
I am glad Shab started this conversation, Jen. When you are exposed to so much criminal activity, it is so disturbing that it could overshadow everything else. Ironically, out of about six thousand people that live in Mt. Hope, it is only a tiny group, probably a dozen or two at the most, who make all of us feel unsafe and angry.
Too bad more people have not been using the web site to post their view point. It is a good sign that you and others are sharing your point of view.
We moved to Mt. Hope 8 years ago, and since then the neighborhood has improved dramatically, like you would not believe. The best part of it is the quality and the variety of people that have moved to Mt. Hope. The time has come to focus on the joie de vie and feed off of one another's positive energy, I am in total agreement with you.
Posted by: Irene at September 29, 2005 08:43 PM