As part of the preparations for the march, organizers asked that people write to the New Orleans City Council and Mayor Ray Nagin to address the issue of crime. I wasn't sure what to write about, but I wanted to support the cause. As much of the organization of the march took place on a forum that I frequent, the days leading up to the march led to a plethora of crime reduction ideas from the forum users. So, I decided to collate my ideas along with others and email them. I avoided the obvious ideas, such as calling for resignations and recalls. Instead, I focused on ideas that I hadn't seen widely publicized and that I felt could be implemented or started immediately. Here's the list: Crime Reduction Ideas.
With no expectation of ever hearing from anyone, I sent the list the night before the march. My initial plan was to send the letter every time I learned of another violent crime in New Orleans, every day if necessary. To my pleasant surprise, I received a response from Councilman-At-Large Arnie Fielkow the very next night. He indicated that he would share this list with law enforcement and the council would hold them accountable.
I relayed this response to my fellow forum posters. This sparked another round of suggestions, regarding how the items might be expeditiously implemented. Some of the ideas were
- to form a steering committee drawn from different neighborhoods
- to feed the lists to Silence is Violence and NOLA Against Crime since they already have a following or base, so to speak
- and to divide the list in order to separate responsibilities and increase its manageability
How you can help:
- spread the word about the list: Crime Reduction Ideas
- write to city officials with your own crime reduction ideas
- and/or adopt one of these ideas and try to push it forward in your own way.
To follow further initiatives addressing violent crime in New Orleans, check out Silence is Violence and NOLA Against Crime.
