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Suburbs aren’t immune to crime
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There was a time when people moved out to the suburbs to get away from crime. The cities were dens of iniquity and the ‘burbs were the place no one ever locked their door, folks watched out for each other, and the deer and the antelope played.
But, since the beginning of the year, we’ve read about the police making an arrest of what appeared to be a gambling operation in the Huntcliff subdivision. It wasn’t that long ago that a few miles north, in one of those really expensive neighborhoods, there was a thriving prostitution ring operating.
And of late our neighborhood association has alerted us that some cars have been broken into in our neighborhood. Any day now I expect to see Tony Soprano and Paulie Walnuts sipping their espresso outside one of the coffee places on Roswell Road.
Has crime moved to the suburbs? Is there nowhere safe to live?
The answers are crime comes as soon as the bad people realized they can do “business” — and no there is no place that is truly safe. That is, if you define safe as a 100 percent guarantee you will never risk being the victim of a crime.
So it gets down to two choices; live in fear or be vigilant and smart. The former might have some advantages go for it, though none I can see.
The latter seems like a smarter way to go. And it doesn’t require building a panic room in your house or buying an arsenal of handguns — though you’re free to do one or both. For me, I prefer following the advice of those who know.
First, and this is advice from the police, use common sense. Don’t leave anything in your car that might be worth stealing. That means your briefcase, mobile phone, laptop, mp3 player, GPS, etc. And lock your car every time you get out. If you think that’s over the top a friend said they had their car broken into and their gym bag stolen. All the thief got was some sweaty clothes, but the car owner had to deal with a broken window and an insurance claim.
The same applies to your house. It’d be great to think we don’t need to lock our doors, but this ain’t Mayberry. Make sure you have plenty of outdoor lighting so someone can’t sneak in and be aware of anything that looks out of place, like a car you don’t recognize repeatedly cruising the neighborhood. Our police department has a number of community outreach programs; use them.
And realize that things no matter what, crime will happen but we can’t give into fear.
On Valentine’s Day 15 years ago my son and I came home at night to find the back door smashed in. I backed out of the driveway and called the police. After an officer secured the house I found nothing had been taken. The insurance company sent a crew that night to temporarily secure the door.
I didn’t sleep well and thought of going to a motel but I knew I had to stay. It was my home.
My home.
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Holy Alpo! Does Sandy Springs really need a dog park?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Three years after it gained independence from Fulton County, the city remains one of the largest in metro Atlanta without a dedicated dog park.” — Text from a recent news story on ajc.com.
You know those times you read something, and even though you understand what you just read, you really don’t? I had to read the above line three times, because part of the brain saw a story that indicated a glaring unmet need in our little piece of heaven, but that was associated with a the phrase “a dedicated dog park.”
Holy Alpo — we’re one of the largest cities in the metro area without a dedicated dog park? Does PETA know this? Should Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, be called in? And where exactly was Michael Vick when this took place?
Are we really getting our knickers in a twist because the mayor and city council have not acted swiftly to create an area where our dogs can gambol and enjoy nature off-leash? Is this how we’re going to spend our citizen-capitol?
We have three dogs — Jake, Sydney and Cody — and they love going to a dog park over in Dunwoody. They can run through the woods, sniff all manner of things I won’t discuss here and run with the pack. It’s wonderful and I would be giddy as a school girl if there was something like that closer to home. And I’m sure one day there will be — but I’m not losing sleep over it.
Yes, the city said it was behind building a dog park and I’m sure that will eventually come to pass. But last week when a neighbor saw a suspicious SUV repeatedly cruising the neighborhood and called the police I’m really happy a city officer showed up in a timely manner.
When a house up the street caught fire a couple of weeks ago I was likewise glad the city fire trucks arrived quickly. I’m glad to see the building that used to house Target is going to be used by the city for something so it doesn’t sit vacant in an economy that is short on retailers needing that much space.
So the fact that we hold the distinction of being the largest city in the metro area without a dog park, to me, is as relevant as Sandy Springs being the largest city of its size.
Like many I am looking forward to having a dog park closer to home — some day. Perhaps Jake, since he is the senior dog on the Osterman homestead and something of a celebrity, will be asked to christen the first shrub.
But I think even Jake knows there are more important places we can be expending our righteous indignation when it comes to our everyday lives.
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Upgrade It…Does Sandy Springs need a re-do?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A couple of years ago the folks in our neighborhood noted with raised eyebrow that some of the homes that were being built in sites previously occupied by ‘50s-era brick ranch were going for $950,000.
Homes within two miles were going into seven figures.
A lot of people predicated Sandy Springs was going to become a place where only the wealthy could afford to live, as though 30328 was going to become the next 90210. To hear some tell it Donald Trump and Oprah would be Sandy Springsteens any day now.
And this inevitably led to the usual outcry over what prosperity would bring; it would force out “the little guy.” I have no idea exactly who this little guy is, but he always seems to be trotted out to bear the brunt of societal change. Are tall people and women immune to these things?
Two years and an economic meltdown later many of those pricey homes are still sitting there, waiting for their first homeowner, which leads me to believe the little guy still walks in our midst.
But it does beg the question of whether there is something wrong with our neighborhoods going through an upgrade?
I get it — when homes go up in size and price it blocks a certain segment of the population out of a community, but I don’t recall making sure everyone can afford to live in a zip code being a requirement. I know a few builders and all are in business to make money. I have yet to meet a single one whose business plan is to put up enough luxury homes in a specific area to price out a certain group.
And Sandy Springs has already survived that scenario once. When the population started to grow in the early ‘60s the city was jam-packed with young families. As the kids grew up and left for college and beyond the value of the homes their empty-nest parents remained in increased sharply. The result was neighborhoods full of high-priced homes that were out of the grasp of young families, or young adults looking for their first home.
And guess what? Sandy Springs did not find itself in a state of societal perdition. The walls did not come a’crumblin’ down.
Which begs the question — what is it about prosperity that offends and scares certain segments of the population? Why would it be a bad thing if five years from now the average price for a home in Sandy Springs was $1.5 million?
I know, I know — it would price out the little guy. But one would hope in five years time the little guy would have gone back to school, gotten a degree and built a business that would allow him to live wherever he wanted.
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Our real life heroes: Give thanks to firemen
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was sunk deep in my favorite chair to watch playoff football convinced nothing was going to move me.
But it’s hard to care about cover-two defenses and play-action passes when your wife says: “Hey, there’s a fire truck parked out front.”
A house up the street caught fire. As this is written the cause has not been publicized and, as far as we know, no one was seriously hurt. But having our block filled with fire trucks and police cars, lights flashing, is thankfully something that doesn’t happen every day.
Indeed, I’ve been in the neighborhood since 1962 and I can’t recall any home catching fire. We’ve been blessed, especially in these old homes with old wiring. But the whole thing reminded me again of how lucky we are that there are people who run into burning buildings. I know they’re trained and many have been doing this for years but I also know that running toward a fire goes against every instinct a person has.
A few years ago I got to scuba dive, but before we were allowed to go deep we had to show we understood how the apparatus worked, especially the breathing system. That first time under water inhaling was hard. Most of the time I’ve ever spent under water the idea is not to breathe at all.
Now imagine seeing flames and heading in that direction, not knowing what you’re going to find. I have no idea if you ever get used to that.
We take it for granted that when we call 911 that someone is going to show up. The fireman, the EMT, the police officer. Yeah, I get it — it’s their job. But these people are someone’s father, someone’s wife, someone’s son — there are people under those uniforms who could be doing something else, making more money and having a much better chance of going home at the end of the day.
We pay taxes to fund their salaries, but is there something else we can do on a regular basis to express our appreciation? Is there something that can be done to make sure they know how thankful we are for those who run toward danger?
One of the worst things we do in relationships is to take our partner for granted. We’re not there — are we?
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Are you better off today, Sandy Springs?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Soon we inaugurate a new president, which for some will be a welcome sign that the election season is finally over.
No more yard signs, no more bumper sticker, not more attack ads clogging our TV’s. I can hear the collective sigh of relief.
But not so fast.
This is the year that the first duly-elected government of Sandy Springs will be contested. When they were elected as the city began they were running on what they were going to do. Now they have to answer for what they have done. So to twist a phrase from Ronald Reagan — are you better off now than when we achieved cityhood, and if not, what are you going to do about it?
This is where we, the people, have out voice. It always sounds so profound when someone looks at election results and says “the people have decided” but it’s true. If you feel strongly one way or the other about a public servant what are you willing to do to back up you convictions?
If you like someone are you willing to campaign for them. Write a check? Talk to your neighbors? Volunteer in their campaign?
And if you don’t like someone are you out looking for an alternative? Are you aware of who else might be out there? Can you articulate why you think some rascal should be voted out of office? Are you willing to really put your beliefs on the line and run for office?
One of the things that bugs me is that local elections like these often get decided by a very small portion of the electorate. There is something about an off-year election that fails to stir the people who need to be involved the most. These races do not have the sex appeal that brings voters out in the same numbers as a presidential race, but they have more to do with our day-to-day lives.
And that brings me back to the question over the quality of our lives. When the city council approved the application for a sports complex for Holy Spirit Preparatory School over the objection of the neighborhood there was a lot of talk/threats that there might be some payback come election day.
I’m not advocating any candidate get another term or be sent packing, but it you have experienced one of those moments this is your year.
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You folks have my respect and admiration beyond my ability to express. God bless you all….... read the full comment by Jim Osterman | Comment on Our real life heroes: Give thanks to firemen Read Our real life heroes: Give thanks to firemen