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.
