[RP TownTalk] code and vendors discussion

[marc stauffer]

Roland, Paul, Lou and Marc,
This is a really useful discussion.  Hopefully it will stay civil.
I'd like to know more about what the "alternative" methods were that  
San Francisco utiliized to achieve the gains in crime reduction and  
detention rates the study outlines.
I do think that the success of the "broken windows" method, at least  
in the context of NYC, is more complicated than either of the other  
articles let on.  I'd argue that the policing strategy instituted by  
mayor Giuliani and chief Bratton went hand-in-hand with new set of  
social, business, and urban planning policies that succeeded in  
cleaning up large swathes of the city, fostering gentrification, and  
encouraging tourism.  At the same time these policies sanitized much  
of the city, created a much more authoritarian type of governance  
(that had large repercussions in citizen's sense of trust in the  
police force), and acted to marginalize the political strength of  
much of the minority and poor segments of the population.
As Lou mentions about how to best devote resources to different  
areas, the "broken windows" method had huge cost implications for the  
city's budget that it was fortunate enough to be able to swallow  
during a time of a booming economy.
I don't know what alternatives might look like for Riverdale Park,  
but it seems like we need to figure something out: out walking the  
dogs tonight I noticed a house in Ward 2 had been tagged with  
graffiti and a bunch of new graffiti at the rt. 410 overpass over the  
river at the bike path.  I'm pretty sure it wasn't an artistic  
installation.
I hope the conversation along this thread continues with insights  
from others.  It seems to me to be perhaps the most important issue  
on the table.
Regards,
Marc Stauffer
4913 ravenswood rd.