Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
"Hanging out" has always been a part of city life, whether it's on the front steps of a building or in/around a store or restaurant or on a street corner. The problem with it is that those doing the hanging aren't always "jes' chillin'" with family and friends. And when teens are engaged in it, the noise level which comes naturally to their age group serves to intimidate passersby (and sometimes that's part of why it's being done.) Elderly folks get nervous, and attractive women feel harassed whether or not there are actual catcalls and unsolicited comments. Particularly at night, the odds become pretty high that a clustered group of males is up to no good.
There are plenty of people who'd like to see the days return when Officer Friendly could order a gathering of "suspicious characters" to disperse, then promptly haul in anybody who disobeyed. But a Supreme Court decision changed that based on a case out of - yes - Cincinnati, when some young guys (who it's probably safe to assume were Black) decided to contest their "loitering" arrests. To me this is a good thing preferable to "bust them all and sort out the bad actors later." Even today, though doo-wop is an extinct musical form, many kids still are meeting on a corner or stoop to do nothing more than mimic their favorite singers/groups and just plain socialize. Far better to leave them be despite having to do the same for those out to deal drugs, mug somebody, or annoy a lady or worse. But what does the law-abiding majority do on its own to separate the good from the bad?
For some time I'd heard of a group calling itself Good Guy Loitering, and reading of their recent increased activities spurred me to give them some recognition here. They're neither tightly organized nor incorporated beyond having someone act as a neighborhood coordinator. What they do is pinpoint "trouble spots" in a given area, then simply set a date and time and announce it on their Web page and to community groups. On the appointed evening, anyone interested need only show up with snacks n' pop and even their dog. For a few hours, the self-selected "good guys" (who of course can be of either gender and any age) reclaim a location by doing some chillin' of their own. Other than some plain GGL signs, there's no chanting or any confrontation. So far it's worked like a charm in terms of keeping an actual or potential problem place free of trouble if only for one night. From what I can deduce, GGL was launched in Price Hill and then adopted in Westwood. Earlier this year they established themselves in Roselawn, where at least two events have already happened. Madisonville and Bond Hill are also on board.
It pleased me particularly to see that GGL was planning to show itself on California Ave near Paddock Rd tonight, with intentions of walking east to Reading Rd after having gathered in one place for a while. (Whether "weather permitted" is questionable.) California Ave is one of those streets which went through turmoil during the '70s while there was upheaval in the wake of accelerated racial turnover. The candy store, grocers, and Chinese restaurant mentioned by many in other C-D threads involving Bond Hill are long gone from there. But a viable business district still hangs on. And the homes and apartment houses nearby remain in good repair if somewhat the worse for wear. This is in spite of decades of aggravation from "corner boys," especially at the corner of Reading Rd, where I'm sure no small number of pale-complexioned guys in days gone by also did their hanging out for various purposes. In this era of "smart phones" and iPods and iPads, and neighborhoods where no one knows their neighbors, GGL is a logical step towards getting people acquainted as they innocuously announce that they're not willing to let the bad guys win. Since I fully embrace the concept I'm happy to put in a free blurb for 'em while doing my own "goyguy loitering" thing on my front steps in good weather during free time. Good Guy Loitering
Nice post, Goy Guy! Sigh, it's hard to hang out on the street corner in my suburbia development... Maybe one of these days, I can convince Mrs. CC that we need a nicely-restored '50s Corn Binder or Ford pick-em-up that we can take to cruise-ins in the Summer. I came of age in FL and there was a smaller version of the cruise-ins that CA made famous. Sigh...
Can someone tell me why AA culture often involves hanging out on the corners? It's not just in the city, it was the same at Compton Groves Apts. as East Price Hill as it is in OTR. I think you should hang out where you live, i.e. on your porch (or INSIDE), but be out of the pedestrian path.
The good guy loitering seems to have some appeal, at least on the surface. But I have some concerns relative to it turning into a vigilante group, causing more confrontations than it solves. Passions can heat up very quickly when opposites encounter. Providing it is organized as a large neighborhood gathering expressing their desire to offset the undesirables, I can agree.
People do need to stand up for what they believe, rather than hiding due to fear. I do believe there is power in the people, as long as they are united.
Can someone tell me why AA culture often involves hanging out on the corners? It's not just in the city, it was the same at Compton Groves Apts. as East Price Hill as it is in OTR. I think you should hang out where you live, i.e. on your porch (or INSIDE), but be out of the pedestrian path.
I don't think it's AA culture specifically. When I was very young we were pretty poor and we hung out in groups on porches, or wherever, but always outside. I think you don't hang out at home because 1. your home life may not be that great and 2. in the summer most of these homes don't have A/C. 3. you want to socialize
I don't think it's AA culture specifically. When I was very young we were pretty poor and we hung out in groups on porches, or wherever, but always outside. I think you don't hang out at home because 1. your home life may not be that great and 2. in the summer most of these homes don't have A/C. 3. you want to socialize
Those are all reasons I can equate to. But it still does not say violence has to occur. There still has to be some differentiation between hanging out in social groups and those seeking the easy life from drugs, etc. Unfornuately, those seeking the easy life seem to dominate.
Corner boys n' girls only have in common that they're from the lower end of the economic ladder. Nowhere in Boston is the cultural phenomenon still in effect more than in the historically blue-collar and mainly Irish-American "Southie" neighborhood. And I mentioned doo-wop specifically due to its having been spawned and nurtured by corner boys from Italian families. The group Dion & the Belmonts got their name because they lived and chilled in the Belmont section of The Bronx in NYC. So although the lyrics in hiphop lean towards foul and disgusting, when kids congregate and chant along to them or make up their own they're actually upholding tradition.
GGL spells out on their site that they're not out to "engage" with any person(s) who may have claimed a spot for themselves. Their gatherings start early enough that few of those who hang out for the wrong reasons during the night have shown up yet. And since they don't stay put until "all hours," chances are fairly good that the bad actors just lay low 'til everyone's gone home. My hunch is that there must be some guidelines in place which are clearly spelled out to all who participate. Again this is just a hunch, but IMHO the cops' take on these groups is probably a tolerant one. After all, they'd probably just as soon have would-be neighborhood reclaimers take part in an "official" block watch or CPOP group that's countenanced by them. But some of the pics of GGL events include police vehicles, so the wo/men in blue are at least supportive if not actively guarding the corner the whole time. Vigilantism was the specialty of the Guardian Angels - when's the last time anybody heard of them or spotted a group of people in red berets?
The site tells of motorists' rolling past with friendly beeps of the horn, or "slowing down until [the driver] realized the usual people weren't there." It's also been recounted that during a GGL evening on Reading Rd, a lady who happened by was so taken by what was going on that she detoured to a McDonald's down the street and brought back hot chocolate for everybody. No one's shouting or singing or sign-waving, they're "jes' chillin'" and letting the plain GGL boards silently proclaim whose corner it is. And any threat to those taking part is minimized by the facts that many of the criminal-element types drift to wherever the action is and not around where they actually live, AND those who do dwell close by are keeping their distance. Keeping everything at a conversational level also serves to encourage spontaneous joining in, and may have been key to the hot-chocolate lady's deciding to perform her random act of kindness.
I have my doubts as to any long-lasting effect these sit-outs have, but I think their organizers are keeping a realistic perspective. None of the gatherings - so far - have led to neighbors' being inspired to do the same thing on their own night after night and truly reclaim their territory once and for all. But the proverbial seed is being planted.
The good guy loitering seems to have some appeal, at least on the surface. But I have some concerns relative to it turning into a vigilante group, causing more confrontations than it solves. Passions can heat up very quickly when opposites encounter. Providing it is organized as a large neighborhood gathering expressing their desire to offset the undesirables, I can agree.
People do need to stand up for what they believe, rather than hiding due to fear. I do believe there is power in the people, as long as they are united.
just wanted to let you all know in case anyone else had concerns about this that being a vigilante is not how this works. It is just regular residents grabbing a lawn chair & sitting on a corner that people in the community are tired of seeing negative things happen at. All that happens is a group of residents sit on a corner and those who normally stand there leave. that simple. Sometimes the police do a direct patrol to watch the area, other times there are Citizens on Patrol persons there (with police radios) but more than many times it is just a group of good people who want to take back their neighborhoods ONE CORNER AT A TIME I love it!
Thank you for all of your kind comments about GGL! I started the GGL program in Westwood three years ago after someone from Price Hill came to a community council meeting to tell us about what they were doing. This year, I have been trying to get it started in other neighborhoods. We are in Bond Hill, Madisonville, and Roselawn. We hope to be in Oakely and Pleasant Ridge soon.
We have the complete support of the police, who both encourage the activity and try to stay nearby when they are available. Citizens on Patrol is also very supportive.
And it is just a bunch of neighbors and friends hanging out on a street corner that has struggled with bad behavior. We get there before the bad behavior usually starts and hang out long enough so that those folks have to make other plans for the evening. There is no danger of this becoming a vigilante group. We have grandparents, children, and pets that sit with us. We are not confrontational (in part, because the "bad guys" never show up and there isn't anyone to confront). But also because that's not the point.
GGL is about family and community and returning that vibe to an area that may not have had it for a long time. It is not THE solution. But I think it is part of one. Over three years in Westwood, something is changing. I can't put my finger on it or quantify it, but it is there. There is more involvement in local block watches than ever before, more enrollment in Citizens on Patrol, and more involvement in other community activities. I can't say that GGL caused any of this, but I would like to think it was part of it. And since I believe that is true, I am trying to spread the idea across the city.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
