It should be interesting to see how Oakenshawe points out, tries to make the case, that the person somehow came from somewhere else, was "murdered" there (i.e. as in Belair-Edison) but simply "died" in their neighborhood. Um, no. Karen Stokes (Greater Homewood Community Corporation, in Charles Village) was already noted commenting in the news (as a 'neighbor', not GHCC, but her name recognition doesn't afford here that simple of a read of her comment) pushing the idea. You **know** Oakenshawe breathed a sigh of relief when, earlier in the summer the person who was **shot** withinin their neighborhood bounds (at the chicken joint on the NW corner of Greenmount & 33rd) but ran, fleeing, kitty corner, across, to the **SE** corner of Greenmount & 33rd and **died** in Better Waverly instead. And yes, where they die is where the murder is recorded as happening. Sorry, Oakenshawe and Charles Village, no 'mulligans'. Time to step up to the plate and get involved instead of cloistering yourselves in your little deadend streets and privately policed worlds. It's not helping you, me, or the vics.

Oh come on already. We've been told over and over by our city government that crime is down. Only 171 people have been slaughtered this year, that's nothing compared to the 176 by this time last year!

Even the Baltimore Sun said crime was down
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2000-05-12/news/0005120014_1_commit-crimes-violent-crimes-crime-is-down

Even our mayor said
"We have made significant progress with crime" - Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

Peter, are you suggesting that the government has lied to us? Or that the government was miss informed much like the WMD's of Iraq? Are you trying to say that although we fight a war in Iraq and Afghanistan that right here in Baltimore we are also in the middle of a war zone?

Oh wait, crime is down. Let's get a "Mission Accomplished" banner and stick it over city hall. Then lets have the mayor go to every mother and father of every dead victim and have her explain in person that crime is down.

What Baltimore needs is change. We need to fire another Mayor. This time for incompetence instead of theft.

It's pretty much indisputable that crime is down significantly in Baltimore, yet compared to other cities is still very high. I think the best we can do is report the official proclamations of crime declines while continuing to report on the atrocities that take place on the streets. But the fact that crimes continue to be committed is not in and of itself evidence that crime cannot possibly be down. While homicides are down only 5 compared to this time last year, they're down nearly 70 killings from this time in 2007. -JF

"Sorry, Oakenshawe and Charles Village, no 'mulligans'.Time to step up to the plate and get involved instead of cloistering yourselves in your little deadend streets and privately policed worlds. It's not helping you, me, or the vics" baltobikeboi

I just got back from a 2 hr. Oakenshawe Citizens Patrol Safety walk w/ about 16 JHU students who live off campus along E. University Pkwy, showing them where we walk , what we do, and talking about community safety and quality of life issues. The students were recruited at our request by the Off Campus Liason Office of JHU. Cloistered enough for ya? What did you do tonight? Bong hits? I thought so. Crime sucks and so do you, "boi"! Spare us your self-righteousness & your air quotes and get involved your own lousy self...

"Sorry, Oakenshawe and Charles Village, no 'mulligans'. Time to step up to the plate and get involved instead of cloistering yourselves in your little deadend streets and privately policed worlds. It's not helping you, me, or the vics." baltobikerboi

I just got back from a 90 min Oakenshawe Citizens on Patrol safety walk with about 12 JHU students who live off campus along E. University Pkwy. We asked the JHU Off Campus Community liason Office to recruit students to walk with us tonight so we could show them where we walk, what we do, and talk about community safety and quality of life issues. Is that cloistered enough for ya? And what did you do tonight? Bong hits? I thought so.
Spare us your self-righteousness and your air quotes, baltobikeboi. Crime sucks and so do you!

"they're down nearly 70 killings from this time in 2007"

Perhaps. However, with a few more weekends like this last one, I'm optimistic the city can pick up the "slack."

@Fedup in Oakenshawe who was commenting on my critique of the "cloistered folk" west of Greenmount Ave..and replied:

"What did you do tonight? Bong hits? I thought so. Crime sucks and so do you, "boi"! Spare us your self-righteousness & your air quotes and get involved your own lousy self..."

Here's what I did last little while...

- 5+ years with my community organization
- regular meetings at community groups INCLUDING GHCC
- outreach to our neighborhoods kids, gang intervention
- COP myself (though not as much as others - it's not my job to patrol my neighbors, it's the police's)
- teach at a university criminology and deviance to get better police, prosectors, social workers into our pipelines.
- write grants for Parks & People.
- Oh, and worked with JHU's community liaison for a spell as well

Bite Me.

Look, if you want to deride the reality that some neighborhoods here in the city freak out ONLY AFTER the fact of something bad happening in THEIR neighborhood that's fine. But don't make it about what "I" did or didn't do (and esp. when you are clearly completely without a CLUE). All I hear those neighborhoods complain about largely is people going through their neighborhoods and when something happens "Emergency Crime Prevention Meetings" and talk about how do we stop "THEM" from doing that.

I went to the vigil for Milton Hill, E. North Ave this summer. I was among 500 people. TWELVE of them were white (myself included). This was about a week after Mr. Pitcarin was murdered in Charles Village. Mary Pat Clarke issued a PLEA that members from other neighborhoods show support... Of those 12 white folk... 6 were from MY neighborhood. So where the hell was all the "Fed up in Oakenshawe" people THAT week, when things were so bad.

So here were are this week. Another murder in a 'tonier' neighborhood and for Oakenshawe, Union Memorial, CV and JHU priority one is about making it be about "Not in our backyard" "We're not like that" and "We're shocked.". We ALL need to at least bone up to the reality that the city needs us - ALL neighborhoods need our attention help and support, and not just when crisis moves us. Good luck with what you're doing, hope it turns into a sustainable venture and less chit chat about whether or not the buses can turn left on Greenmount from 33rd.

The killing never ends...police only respond and do little to prevent...sadly cultures of violence continue with little being done...this is the price of a system of breakdown beginining with families and then schools then economies which do not provide careers ...