Posted on Wednesday, May 2, 2007 by
Michael •
K.G. contributed the following post to her neighborhood forum (in Burlington’s New North End) today after some recent messages about suspicious characters, peeping Toms, stolen purse, etc.
Ever since Linda posted about the “peeping Tom” in our neighborhood, I’ve been feeling less safe in my home. Now, today (Wednesday), I find two more postings about strange situations in the area. While I agree that in this day and age we all have to be vigilant and aware, I also hope that we don’t start feeling like our neighborhood is not safe.
When we moved in last August, part of the reason we felt so immediately at home was the fact that the area felt safe and inviting. People say hello, children and families roam the streets on bikes and scooters. Daily walkers, joggers, and dog lovers abound. There is activity without busyness as people in our neighborhood share with each other their daily lives.
This new twist on our happy environment may leave us all feeling a little more exposed, and a little less willing to share of ourselves, our yards, and our homes. While I want everyone to be watchful and safe, I wish with all my heart that the neighborhood continues to feel as warm and inviting as it has for the past year. It’s too easy to let fear control our lives.
Hear, hear! Rallying the neighbors to protect and foster the sense of community in the face of problems… that’s another great use of Front Porch Forum. Reminds me of a South End neighborhood’s reaction when a little girl was briefly kidnapped out of her backyard by a drifter… after she was rescued, the call went out over their neighborhood forum to step up community involvement and watching each other’s kids rather than everyone running inside and locking the doors.