Unsafe Cambridge Neighborhood

Posted July 17, 2014 10:18 AM ET; Last updated July 18, 2014 1:04 PM ET


Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs explained in her wonderful book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, that if you need police in your neighborhood it is not safe. Safe neighborhoods do not come from police presence. They are safe because of interested persons who live, work and pass through that neighborhood If persons do not watch who is in the neighborhood it becomes unsafe. Most crimes are committed by persons who do not live in the neighborhood. If only politicians read some books. 



Councilor Simmons admits that neighborhood residents sit on their front stoops. That is a major deterrent to crime. When they see a suspicious person they can speak up and/or call the police. 



But expecting civilians to "snitch" on criminals who brazenly commit murder is asking a lot. Read the awful story about 18-year-old Sarah Pearce who was convicted and served 12 years for a crime she did not commit.


Sarah Pearce

http://enoughroomvideo.blogspot.com/2014/07/idaho-woman-18-set-free-after-12-years.html An entire family knew she was innocent but refused to identify the guilty person because of fear. That is not only a local problem. Why do politicians expect young people to snitch on their colleagues when  police, politicians, doctors and lawyers do not snitch on their colleagues? To suggest that "a couple of dozen additional officers" should be assigned to one neighborhood is irrational.  On previous occasions Councilor Simmons lamented the presence of FBI and cameras in Cambridge, but suggested that there should be an officer on every corner. Her policy making needs re-evaluation.

[From article] A number of residents at the Pisani Center mentioned that they may spend hours on their front stoop and never see a uniformed officer.
[. . .]
I would like to see a couple of dozen additional officers walking the beat in Area Four,

http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20140718/NEWS/140716740

Guest column: Preventing the ‘us versus them’ mentality towards police in Cambridge
By E. Denise Simmons
Posted Jul. 18, 2014 @ 10:04 am
CAMBRIDGE Chronicle


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[From article]

"I don't want to be afraid in my neighborhood," Cambridge City Councilor E. Denise Simmons said Thursday, July 10, at the Area Four Neighborhood Coalition meeting. "I want to be able to walk on my street anytime I want to. I want to be able to walk in my neighborhood and feel safe."
According to Denise Phillips, an Area Four resident, police officers used to walk the neighborhood several years ago, but that is just no longer the case.

http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20140716/NEWS/140717327

Area Four asks for more police presence after shooting
By Sara Feijo
Posted Jul. 16, 2014 @ 2:06 pm
Updated Jul 16, 2014 at 3:29 PM
CAMBRIDGE Chronicle