Crisis of crime in Harrisburg-National Guard? (Philadelphia, Lancaster: sex offenders, home, job market)

[judd2401]

A special report aired this morning on a Harrisburg TV channel was quite alarming. There have been 11 shootings in Harrisburg during the month of June alone. Despite town hall meetings, outreach by religious organizations and aggressive police action, crime appears to be spiraling out of control. Gov Rendell has apparently been discussing calling up the National Guard, marshal law has been mentioned, curfews, etc., to stem the tide of crime in Harrisburg city. City residents interviewed from various areas, many previously considered safe are afraid to walk the streets, they are vigilant when getting out of their cars and are just plain afraid. I moved back to Harrisburg in 1995 because I believe Harrisburg to be the best of both worlds, it has city culture, it's easy to get to other venues like Phila, NYC and Baltimore, the river front is beautiful, and it's easy to get into the country where there are parks, lots of outdoor activities, vineyards and picturesque scenery. The job market has been stable, home values reasonable, and there are good schools in the region. Other cities in PA are in similar or worse condition including York and Lancaster. What's happening? What can be done? For the many people relocating to this area who have postings on this blog, asking about safe areas to live, etc., do your homework. No place is free from the risk of crime but having been born and raised in the valley, I've never seen this much crime. It has to be multifactorial including the economy, drug trafficking and gang activity, a very complicated picture, and obviously hard to manage. I started this thread to get a discussion going about this problem because it's going to take everyone's involvement to address this, the police can't handle this alone. We all need to take responsibility and put our heads together to problem solve and establish possible action plans and solutions in our own city, nobody wants a military state in Harrisburg, there has to be another way.

[susquehannock]

One of the reasons is the federal government won't protect our border. Another is the Federal government gives grants to towns and cities to import the type of people who are committing the crimes.

Harrisburg chapter of NAACP urges martial law

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/ind..._naacp_ur.html

[judd2401]

Rendell heard the NAACP, because it was from his lips that I heard talk of calling in the National Guard. Susquehannock, please enlighten me/us about your comments, what exactly do you mean and how is it specific to Harrisburg?

[susquehannock]

It's specific to Harrisburg for the same reasons it's specific to all the cities that are having the same problems.


http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/...llegal_im.html

http://www.saveourstate.org/vforums/...ad.php?t=45182

[wanneroo]

Too much welfare with people sitting around with nothing to do and nothing to look forward to in life and hence nothing to do but get into trouble. Then you add all the illegals feasting and praying on citizens and you've got crime problems.

[judd2401]

Band of silence. People are afraid to speak up for fear of retribution. So do we just cower back and stay silent, blame the government, and do nothing? American's have always been innovators, why can't we figure out a way to stem crime, before big brother steps in a takes away more of our rights for sake of safety? More cameras? More "listening in" to our conversations?, more monitoring of email and internet traffic? Networking, even if annonymous, through text messaging, through proxy servors, etc., could promote a flow of information about the nature of crime, who's commiting crimes, where they live, where they're from, etc. I know someone has the technological talent to promote that kind of communication. Can't we put if forward, before it is forced on us from outside sources? Can't the private sector exert some control through technology so the public sector doesn't have to? Talk about becoming a third world country, and our government becoming a dictatorship, can't we be proactive before we find ourselves protesting a crushing police state because our society has totally unraveled?

[TechieTransplant]

It makes me very sad to read this. I grew up dreaming of spending time in so many of these places and I can't believe what has become of some of the more well known cities in PA. It just angers me that it's become what it's become.

[judd2401]

All Sunday morning, nothing but profiles of crime in Harrisburg and a flashy profile of the PA State Police cruising the city as a show of force. This is temporary at best, and is not a solution to anything except double duty for State Troopers. It angers me that this is held up as an "action plan" because it cannot be sustained. The criminals are laughing, sitting out on their porches, waving at the troopers as they cruise by, just waiting for the troopers to go away. Just as in Iraq, the violence has surged now that the US armed forces are pulling out. They've been waiting patiently for the US to pull out. The military Generals interviewed about the upsurge in violence were demure at best, stating they felt it was a temporary upsurge, but it's not, it makes no sense that it's temporary. I hate to compare the two but I think there is a common denominator: an underground resistance to law and order. They don't want peace in Iraq. The criminal element doesn't want peace in Harrisburg. It's a way of life, it's a thrill ride, they get pleasure from terrorizing others, they like the cat and mouse game with police, they want control, it brings them power, and a sense of importance, they want the upper hand and they have it as far as I'm concerned. They're already installing more cameras in Harrisburg as we speak, unless the private citizens and sector wake up and start coming up with our own action plan, external forces will be clamping down, taking more of our rights away and there will be no turning back once that happens. Where are the computer geeks? Technology is the answer, it's already in place and available, it would take a concerted effort, Hispanic and Black leaders would need to step forward as a coalition to support such an effort, and it could be a city wide network of shining the light on the criminal element. Instead of taking up our guns, let's take up our technology, nobody could hide, nobody. Yes it's a nationwide problem, but let's create an atmosphere in Harrisburg as an unfriendly and risky place for criminals to operate, it can be done with a grass roots effort, it takes technological "know-how" which I personally don't have, but I know others do. Please come forward with ideas. Let's create a clearinghouse of information about crimes being commited in Harrisburg, a central location where everyone could send information, anonymously, crimes could be charted, high risk areas targeted, profiles of criminals developed, and even exposure by name and location, similar to sex offenders, could make criminals avoid "playing" in Harrisburg. Yes there would be inaccuracies but it's a start, collecting information, collating the information, and attempting to identify patterns, and finally exposure.

[pman]

Originally Posted by susquehannock

One of the reasons is the federal government won't protect our border. Another is the Federal government gives grants to towns and cities to import the type of people who are committing the crimes.

Harrisburg chapter of NAACP urges martial law

Harrisburg chapter of NAACP urges martial law - PennLive.com

are you stating that illegal immigrants are committing the crimes? Here in Philadelphia, illegal immigrants are more likely to have crimes committed against them by citizens than the other way around. are things different in Harrisburg or are you just spouting off anti-immigrant trash for the helluvit?

[CarolinaOnMyMind]

If they are illegal immigrants they shouldnt be here or anywhere in the first place.