I changed things around a bit, and added a few things. It's as new to me as it is to you, but I think it'll work. As usual I'll try to have a variety of topics, but come summer there will be more postings about car events. You can email me at cruisaholic@hotmail.com Keep the shiny side up!

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Safety

I had good intentions of doing part two of the 'Now what?' post until I went on the porch to get my newspaper. I thought I could catch up on the City Council meeting as scheduling conflicts don't allow me to attend anymore. I'm surprised that according to the QC Times, nobody touched on the crime issue. In the two articles about the meeting the only things mentioned are articles about the removal of the new camera ordinance by Tory Brecht on the front page, and the Frieght House, by Tory Brecht on page B3. Both are excellent articles.

Along with an article by Barb Ickes about the proposal of Davenport firefighters including Bettendorf in their response area; the front page also had an article by Dustin Lemmon about the 'Brawl at the Mall'. On page B1 was an article by Kurt Allemeier telling us the 17 year old girl who was shot downtown is doing better; an artilce by Deidre Cox Baker about the guy who set the fire at the Edgerton Woman's Health Clinic, and an another article by Kurt Allemeier about the shooting where the victim drove down Pershing and wrecked a bunch of cars after being shot. Also excellent articles. Go to
QC Times for the stories.

Since we don't have cable TV, I can't watch the meetings, so I wait for the updates on the city webpage. I don't like where our city is going, and I don't care if the crime is everywhere. I don't care if people say our crime rate isn't high for a city of this size. I'm tired of seeing our town decay in the central city area, vacant buildings all over, and this new group of troublemakers who think we owe them something. Quit releasing them to Mom's custody, throw their butt in jail; and while we're at it, after 3 offenses throw Mom's butt in jail too. My people did not enslave your people, my people were forced out of Ireland due to famine. So if someone oppressed your great-great grandfather, deal with it , get over it, grow up, and quit blaming me.

Not only do we deserve, we should also demand, safety in our city.

16 comments:

Snarky Chick said...

But our crime rate IS high for a city of this size. We are three times the national average and that takes into account population. How can people not understand that?

QCMediaGhost said...

“The kids are raising themselves” quote is the best insight to date. How about ‘double indemnity’ and incarcerate the parent(s) an equal amount of time as the perp? -Ghost

cruiser said...

snarky, I think people don't want to believe it and because it hasn't happened to them yet.

ghost, same anount of time, same cell. Let them bond.

QCMediaGhost said...

Does anyone think we would have the crime problem in the QCA if our leadership was Republican? Check the results of Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio. If you don’t commit a crime, you don’t have to deal with Sheriff Joe; but if you do, may the Lord have mercy on your freedom. One can’t look at the criminals through law abiding eyes, therefore there’s no reason trying to understand why they do what they do. But if the laws were tough, and the black robes were filled with men, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. -Ghost

Snarky Chick said...

Good points Ghost. We have some wimps in charge right now. Bladel is a good talker but won't get tough on crime. Davis is entirely too soft on criminals. No one is willing to hold Bladel accountable.

QuadCityImages said...

I go to Phoenix all the time, and despite Sheriff Joe's publicity-grabbing stuff, I feel about 20 times less safe there. I've also seen more crimes and more car accidents there than I have here, despite spending 50 more weeks a year here.

QCMediaGhost said...

quadcityimages: Have you been a victim in either area? What makes you feel less safe? What crimes have you actually seen? Per capita, it's better where?

Although I respect you and your blog, it’s difficult to understand your reasoning for debating this subject. If you simply care to discredit my statement, please bring your numbers to the table. One unnatural death anywhere is tragic, no? -Ghost

cruiser said...

We're safer here. Phoenix is bigger and has other variables. Sheriff Joe gets mentions because he does something. He makes inmates go to school if they haven't graduated, he runs the only in-jail drug rehab program in the country, he works both men and women on chain gangs, and makes inmates do it in pink coveralls. Regardless of the crime rate, it can't be popular to be in his jail.

Snarky Chick said...

Click here to see a comparison of the crime rates from Davenport to Phoenix. While Phoenix has plenty more murders than us the rest of the numbers are similar. Its closeness to the border makes the auto theft rate hard to compare. We have a higher rate of rapes, huge number more assaults and more burglaries. Robberies are about the same.

Just in case you wanted some facts to discuss.

cruiser said...

Maybe I spoke too soon. That's an interesting link snarky. ghost, I'd also wonder why QCI doesn't feel safe down there. Is the whole town scary, I haven't been there in years. Isn't Phoenix, or the Sheriff that you dislike? With that many more people I'd imagine there are more car wrecks, but that isn't really crime. So, QCI, have you actually seen crime there?

QuadCityImages said...

We do have a crime problem.

For those of us south of Locust its a very immediate problem.

For those folks north of Kimberly, its pretty much an abstraction.

My point was that the entire atmosphere here is different. In the Phoenix area the middle class neighborhoods look similar to our worst neighborhoods, and the worst neighborhoods look like a 3rd world country. Even middle class folks have burglar alarms, and sometimes even bars on their windows. I just don't think Sheriff Joe makes much of a difference. When people talk like he's "cleaned up Maricopa county," I just don't see it. I don't what bringing partisan politics into the crime debate is going to help either.

In the weeks after Ms. Howard's murder, the police were really cracking down. I think we need this all the time. More old fashioned police work and less worrying about what color our squad cars are and what accreditation we have.

Also, tear down the Ledo and downtown crime will drop noticeably.

cruiser said...

We live SoLo and we have an alarm, and bars on some windows. I don't know if Sheriff Arpaio cleaned up Phoenix or not, what I said is he's trying things that other Sheriff's hadn't tried. And a problem SoLo is a problem for the entire city, as we have seen. People were saying after the Festival of Trees parade that they wouldn't come downtown to watch it. The RME and Figge aren't attracting big crowds. People are moving out of town. That affects everyone. I agree more has to be done, but I'd rather have some sane discussion than rash actions that would be regretted later.

QCMediaGhost said...

Thanks for trying ‘crusier’, but as long as there are “but it’s just as bad as...” folks out there, the ‘bar’ will keep inching lower until there’s no safe place to live, raise a family or retire. The normal becomes slowly worse every year and just as slowly less is expected of law enforcement.

Whenever a city blows its budget, they threaten to lay-off a cop or two, or shut down a fire station (so they can build another bridge to nowhere that vandals can damage until their hearts content). So ‘cruiser’, you might as well go back to blogging about cars and drag strips, because as long as there are ‘commenters’ around to argue every stat and claim it’s just as bad in (Whereverville), you’re just banging your keyboard against the wall. Bless you for trying. Ask them what the sand looks like with their head in it? -Ghost

cruiser said...

I'm not much of a quitter. I don't want other people to take my opinion, rather form their own with a little more information. We can't all agree, and it would be a boring place to live if we did. As far as I'm concerned we can agree to disagree as long as it stays civil. And with summer around the corner, there will be posts on the cars and dragstrips also. Not because I feel fustrated; but because, that's my passion. So post your thoughts, we may be more alike than we think.

Anonymous said...

QCI, I think your views are frequently short sighted. To assume if you tear down the Lido that crime will drop is insane! Those people WILL go elsewhere. I would rather they live next to the PD than next to me!

Anonymous said...

Thye will go the other slum rental on 14th that Lee Nelson owns. This crime willmove into the hearth of the central city.

Shutting down the Ledo won't just reform people. It will move them.

Here is another point QCI. Lee Nelson gets our tax dollars to house the tenants there, even and especially the criminals. SO, not only is that building eating up public service dollars, but we as tax payers are paying for the troubled tenants to eat up the tax dollars. We are getting socked twice.