Crime Stats, Eugene the "Lowest of the low" (Bend: real estate, foreclosures)

[Metlakatla]

Yes, the problem in Lane County is funding as well; it's been discussed fairly extensively in various news sources.

[nutleynut]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

Isn't there a jail funding issue of some sort? That's the problem in Josephine County at least. Taxpayers chose to fund building this "beautiful" jail some years back, but wouldn't pay to keep it staffed and beds open, etc. If they don't have room in the jail, then what else are they going to do them? They have nowhere to put the lesser offenders or have to make room for someone who's committed a worse crime, so off they go...

My friend who lives in the Amazon area said recently every single car down one side of her street had their windows smashed in one night. It's good practice to never leave anything valuable in your car, whether it's visible or not, and good to keep it clean so it doesn't look like you could POSSIBLY have anything valuable stashed in it somewhere.

That's horrible. I have noticed a pocket of folks over there on Hilyardish arean that... could use some direction I'll say and probably would not hurt them to get therapy. I hesitate to name call because I don't know enough specifics.
Anyway my point is that when someone is so down and feels so seperate from the rest of society (I am refering to class seperations) but they have to live in it, they need to qwell those feelings and the most common choice of the person in that situation is chemical. There is also physical mutilation which is a method of exerting control, dangerous activities which excite the emotions you get the idea. All of these things serve to cover over the feelings that are so frighteneing and confusing.
I'm talking about the internal mental processes and feelings that drive these behaviors. These feelings of seperation could describe someone that works everyday and interacts with people just as easily as the particular folks I am talking about. These feelings are the result of some disconnect during development that is in my experience always an emotional and sometimes physical trauma which leaves an invisible scar that constantly distracts them. Either it gets dealt with by therapy and processing or it gets dealt with by supressng and chemicals Every aspect of our society seems almost purpose built to exacerbate these problems for those unfortunate enough to begin life with them. The American get on with it attitude does not work, metaphorically that is like telling someone to walk with one leg and no crutch.

The process of addiction is one of lowering standards. Every addict or self treating trauma victim can confirm this for you when they reach the point of introspection in their addiction process.
Until then they just do angry things like break someone's windows because it feels like they're fighting back for a moment. Just like getting high it is a temporary feeling of power. They have no clue that what they are fighting is inside themselves. It's a very ugly and well known aspect of human nature caused by lack of proper care in childhood followed by poor education.

As far as the jail goes we need a Sheriff like that fella in Maricopa County Az. We should not be encouraging the status quo to continue as we do, I'd love to see these folks living in tents and working for their keep and eating baloney for all meals. We'd have a change in behaviors or an exodus very quickly.

[haggardhouseelf]

I don't know if this would even be legal... but I was thinking the other day that it would be a fun and seemingly very Eugene thing to do for caring citizens from the community to form citizen watch groups and set up a schedule and begin patrolling the streets, on their bicycles or unicycles or recumbents, even.

I'm thinking something like the Monty Python sketch with the Hells Grannies! You know... if there was a group of concerned memaws out there... they could putter around keeping a watchful eye out, reporting to the police what they see or whacking evil-doers over their heads with their handbags... OK maybe no whacking because they'd get into trouble for that... they could call themselves the Memaws of Mayhem.

Papa's could get in on the action, too... Wicked Papa Posse, or Grandpa Mafia...

And there would need to be groups of lesbian/bi/trans folk who would help protect our streets, too... maybe they could call themselves the Rainbow Posse.

I know we could get a bunch of parents involved, wanting to keep our city safer for our kids. Groups could name themselves according to where they come from... Ferry St. Familia, River Rd. Resistance, Downtown Locos, West Eugene Kings...

I think the Slug Queen in all her wondrous glory should also help out. She could gather up some of her slimy friends and slowly make her rounds, keeping the city safe... Gastropod Bangers... Mad Mollusks... Slug Thugs...

It could work. We could set up email reminders, a yahoo group. We could twitter...

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf

I don't know if this would even be legal... but I was thinking the other day that it would be a fun and seemingly very Eugene thing to do for caring citizens from the community to form citizen watch groups and set up a schedule and begin patrolling the streets, on their bicycles or unicycles or recumbents, even.

I'm thinking something like the Monty Python sketch with the Hells Grannies! You know... if there was a group of concerned memaws out there... they could putter around keeping a watchful eye out, reporting to the police what they see or whacking evil-doers over their heads with their handbags... OK maybe no whacking because they'd get into trouble for that... they could call themselves the Memaws of Mayhem.

Papa's could get in on the action, too... Wicked Papa Posse, or Grandpa Mafia...

And there would need to be groups of lesbian/bi/trans folk who would help protect our streets, too... maybe they could call themselves the Rainbow Posse.

I know we could get a bunch of parents involved, wanting to keep our city safer for our kids. Groups could name themselves according to where they come from... Ferry St. Familia, River Rd. Resistance, Downtown Locos, West Eugene Kings...

I think the Slug Queen in all her wondrous glory should also help out. She could gather up some of her slimy friends and slowly make her rounds, keeping the city safe... Gastropod Bangers... Mad Mollusks... Slug Thugs...

It could work. We could set up email reminders, a yahoo group. We could twitter...

Ha! That's a great idea!

I was going to rep you for creativity of those names, but I gotta spread it around first. Mad Mollusks... That's awesome.

[Metlakatla]

Well..it would be legal. We do have something called "Neighborhood Watch", after all. Is it very active down in Eugene, do you know?

[haggardhouseelf]

I haven't heard anything about a neighborhood watch group in my area of Eugene. ? Where would I find info on this?

[Metlakatla]

Well...I'm getting ready to retire for the night but I'm look around tomorrow and post what I find.

I live part time in Oakridge, Oregon. We have a very active Neighborhood Watch program there. When I lived up in Salem, the Neighborhood Watch we had there was awesome--got some meth houses closed down through our efforts, had a great community network going on--for instance, if unsavory activity was observed, neighbors would be calling each other and letting them know, we had "night outs" where we would quite simply "take back our streets"--block parties, bbqs, just getting out and getting to know the neighbors. We had window decals that said something like "This house is protected by Neighborhood Watch. If I don't call the police, my neighbors will".

Neighborhood solidarity is a great deterrent to crime and it's also a very healthy way to live.

[Metlakatla]

I don't know what area you're in but this has some info about Neighborhood Watch in Eugene:

Neighborhood Watch

[haggardhouseelf]

Thank you Metlakatla.

[nutleynut]

Well the county seems to have decided to spend some money on opening jail bed space up and adding patrols. Let's see if it changes anything.