It was interesting to say the least. I really wanted to speak up, but since it was my first time attending the neighborhood association meeting, I decided that it was probably best to just listen and take it all in…

Things need to change, is what everyone said about our neighborhood. And I agree. Though I have a difference in opinion when it comes to discussing a solution. Over and over they emphasized calling the police. “Even if you see a group of teenagers hanging around and they look like they could get into trouble, you can just call the police you know.”
The philosophy was “let’s get rid of them all”. Send them to jail, get them out of the neighborhood, enforce a change on landlords and get “good people” to move in.

Well where will these PEOPLE go? Really, send them where? How about uniting the neighborhood? How about it’s not us against them. How about addressing people and lending a hand instead of giving the boot. How about loving thy neighbor. How about getting to know the teenagers that hang out in front of your house, maybe even offer them a cookie. What about relationship? What if “we” respected “them” first. How about instead of getting rid of of our neighbors one at a time we got to know them, we loved them, we welcomed them… maybe then we wouldn’t need to be so afraid.