Calling All Morse/Glenwood Neighbors

The problems of Morse Ave. are not unlike the problems in many parts of our city and our country. Crime occurs, particularly drug sales, by people who have no future, no training, no education and little to no ambition to have any of these things.  The users, a different type of criminal, are people who have serious problems: health problems, mental problems, and a host of other issues that make them turn to drugs in the first place.  Many on both sides of this illegal business are seriously flawed personalities.    

Most people don't care about these individuals or their problems, particularly when their choices and actions are having a seriously troubling impact on the quality of life for so many community residents. I applaud the efforts of the police, CAPS, community groups, citizens and individuals who work hard in many ways to fight crime.  The recent undercover operation presents us, the neighbors, and the other gangs with an opportunity.  We cannot ever give in to the demands these individuals place upon our community.  They expect us to turn the other way, go someplace else, and give our community to them for their needs and not to worry about our own.

It is easy to understand why people don't want to walk down Morse Ave. to do shopping.  There aren't many stores that sell what we want to buy, no matter who you are.  There isn't much reason to feel safe because people are out on the street that at a bare minimum are perceived to be threatening. But if we are not willing to shop the street and walk the street, taking the opportunity this bust gives us, we are doing exactly what the drug abusing community wants: letting them have our street again.

By not shopping the street we are also not doing anything to help bring the businesses we want. It is going to take some consistent and sustained effort to get different people to invest on the street. Some of the business there is substandard, but there are some that are providing quality services and goods.

The best things to do are to get involved in some of the many groups that are working to make Morse a better street, but not everyone has that in them. But we all have something we need that we could get from Morse. I am willing to invest my money and my time into helping Morse get better. Saturday I opened an account at the Washington Mutual to help them get things going. I am going to return regularly to make both deposits and withdrawals. I am not unhappy with my bank, but I want to see my neighborhood business strip get better rather than someone else’s.

I believe that everyone can do something to support the street so I am asking every person who lives within three blocks of Morse and Glenwood to make a commitment to not only make a single trip to Morse, but to make a commitment that will require a repeating commitment to being on Morse. Need some suggestions? Order dinner from J.B. Alberto’s and then walk/drive over and pick it up rather than have it delivered. Decide to get your loaf of bread or gallon of milk type purchases from the Morse Fresh Market. If you want dinner out, walk over to the Morseland. Get on and off the train on the Morse side once or twice a week rather than the Lunt side. It isn’t that hard. What will happen over time is that there will be more of us than them and by simply going about our business, not being afraid or expecting someone else to do it for us, we will take the street back.

Want to see a change? Take action! It isn’t going to change by itself. You are part of the neighborhood and therefore a part of the solution.

Comments

[Craig Gernhardt]

Wow. Now this is powerful writing! No fluff here!

Well said Committeeman Fagus.

Wait a minute, let me think....is this really David Fagus?

[new on morse]

Having recently moved to Morse ave., the only thing I can say is how preposterous. So lack of retail development, and therefore gang activity, on the street is our fault? I've got news for you, many of us walk up Morse every single day to use the EL, a "quality" service, and that doesn't stop drug look outs from using the platform constantly. Many of your new neighbors do use the few sad little businesses that manage to sell something other than liquor and junk. Do you seriously think that people who choose to buy homes in a city neighborhood do so because they want to drive to basic services? The only thing that is driving us from the neighborhood is lack quality retail and retail diversity, not "perceptions" of threat. Your newest tax base suggests that you get real!