Meeting the Mayor

I arrived a little early and was treated to a parking space right in front of Java Vino (ah, life’s little pleasures). I strolled in, got my coffee, and settled in my seat. The Mayor was already engaged in a conversation, but soon said hello to myself and others.

I thought it was really great the way all of us (about 20) jumped right into the issues. The Mayor expressed some frustration with the comments posted regarding his visit to the King center. Bloggers and residents expressed frustration with the escalating crime, especially the drug trade and shootings.

Here is a flavor of some of the more notable quotes from residents and bloggers, strictly as I remember them:

“Punitive action doesn’t work. We need to reach out to these young people”

“If the cops come up on 3 black kids and one white one, the black kids are going to jail”

“Cops show up on a complaint wind up putting the complainant in jail”

“People are standing on the corners dealing drugs. If it is obvious to me, it has to be obvious to the professionals patrolling the streets”

[In response to the Mayor’s ‘Broken Window’ policy] “Every drug dealer standing on the corner is a broken window and a boarded up house”

So, how did it go? Residents and bloggers told their stories, from the “I see drug dealers”, to “Poor police response” to “it is economics”, to “it is education”. I soon got the feeling that people wanted a magic bullet, but, we soon agreed, there is none to be found.

One man (I believe I know who) gave an impassioned plea to the Mayor regarding crime and police response. A woman on the other side of the room had a similar tale. It was unfortunate that the man got worked up, got into a dispute with a woman sitting at his table, got upset and stormed out. I say unfortunate because he had some valid points, but was easily dismissed as a kook.

We continued for quite some time. For each issue brought up, the Mayor outlined an initiative to cover that particular point. When the Mayor finally ran out of time, the meeting ended amiably.

When I went outside, I soon realized that I had lost track of time. Why? I had a parking ticket on my windshield.

I came home, and something nagged at me all day. I couldn’t put my finger on it. People expressed their views, brought up a variety of issues, the Mayor and Aldermen responded in kind, so what was my problem? I couldn’t shake it all day and all night. It finally hit me.

I believe the Mayor and Aldermen are sincere. They truly want what’s best for Racine. They have initiatives in place, and have future initiatives lined up. They are taking some action, but: IT’S NOT WORKING. That simple fact is what’s been bothering me. The broken window initiative, buying up apartment complexes, outreach programs, visits to the King center, etc, etc, etc is having little impact.

What is missing is an assault on the criminals. There were some that dismissed this idea, but one man with a camera around his neck, made, in retrospect, a very eloquent point. He stated that he lived in New York City when Rudy Giuliani [whom he considered a fascist] became Mayor. He expressed admiration that Giuliani first cleaned up the streets, used ordinances to get rid of unsavory businesses, and then brought in economic development. Giuliani changed the face of New York forever.

The Mayor stated that, even if they had more cops on the street, it wouldn't have stopped the last two shootings. That may be true, but because of the current environment, these shooters feel that they can act with impunity.

Maybe that’s the problem here in Racine. First and foremost, we need to rid ourselves of the criminal element. Once they have been tamped down, bulldoze (literally and figuratively) blighted areas, attract businesses [more jobs], then revitalize [Uptown Art District]. The Mayor himself noted that the old library building, currently selling for $180K, would be worth $500K if the neighborhood around it was better.

One attendee also had it right when he stated that fear needs to be removed from the city. That is the real bottom line. As long as there is fear, residents will not cooperate, businesses will not be attracted, tourists will not come, and people will not stay. All the initiatives in the world will fail if there is continued fear. I sincerely hope that our Mayor and Aldermen make every effort to remove that fear.

Two Coffees: $3.75
One Parking Ticket: $11
Getting to sound off to the Mayor: Priceless

I hope to do it again soon, only next time, without the parking ticket.