Here’s a feelgood story on how life is so tranquil on Danville’s Washington St. Not.
Reporter Allison Roberts did a great job writing this story, but even I’m slightly confused after reading it.
Let’s go buy some pot. No, let’s go rob somebody for pot. No, if we don’t rob somebody for pot, let’s just buy it with counterfeit money. Ah hell, let’s just shoot everybody. Doesn’t Washington St. sound like a lovely neighborhood to live in? Where’s the “Community Outrage” from the Usual Suspects that would demand a total clean-up of the crime-infested area?
I’ve got an idea. Let’s hand this over to the “Coalition For A Safe Danville” because I know that they will get the changes in motion that need to happen. Wait, what? I guess it’s back to the old tried and true method of the neighborhood taking their own streets back from the criminals. Of course, that would take cooperation with the Danville police department. Perhaps that cooperation should be the real message of the Community Organizers instead of useless “Stop the Killing” marches.
But I repeat myself…
A “Stop the Killing” march on Washington Street sounds like a lovely idea. Try it at 2:00 A.M. so all the residents will be awake to see it. Bulletproof vests are optional but recommended.
My grandmother lived on Washington Street until she was no longer able to live at home. In my short lifetime (OK, maybe not THAT short) Washington Street has been transformed from a decent working-class neighborhood into a Section-8 war zone. It’s sickening.
yeah Bruce you would think the Danville Police Dept. would be on top something like in
a crime infested area instead of answering all calls from my neighbor that are frivolous calls. they showed up at my front door 70 times over nothing, the neighbor called. you would think they would be smart enough to do something about someone like that..the DPD should have been on Washington St while over here worrying me because my neighbor wanted them tooooo. over nothing
Some of my fondest, earliest memories are of Washington Street, where my Granny Ricketts lived, her mother and sister lived next door, and my uncle had once run a little store. I remember playing Red Light, Green Light on that sidewalk that’s now all buckled and broken up, writing my first poem under that huge old oak tree while gliding on that front porch, running circles through that humongous (or so it seemed then) empty corner lot. Now, her old house is all boarded up and past ready for razing. And although it’s obvious that no one’s living there, I don’t really feel safe stopping and walking around. It really does break my heart to drive through there nowadays!
My aunt and uncle built a home and lived on Washington St. ( 1317 Washington St.). It was a nice neighborhood at one point. WAS.
But if the police were to patrol that area (as it is a High crime area) then they are racial profiling, all the drug and gang activity. They probably would patrol it more but every complaint they get makes it all the more worth while to let the savages have at it.
Exactly, Travis (the 6:24 PM Travis, to be specific).
Silly me – I’d have thought that the primarily black residents of many high crime areas in the “red zone” of North Danville would be appreciative of the DPD Street Crimes unit, but if social media and online commentary are any indication, they are NOT pleased with the increased police presence in their (neighbor)hoods. Cries of racism from the usual suspects, a “Stop Snitchin” culture, and loud, vocal complaints of unsolved homicides while refusing to help the police, are commonplace. They seem to like their little third-world battle zone just the way it is.