Gage Park

[fastcarsfreedom]

Crime is a reality--what I find interesting is that amongst many here there is nearly fanatical backlash to the overstating of crime in the inner-city. It seems no one wants to mention it--let alone talk about it. If there are kids smoking pot, syringes, condoms and people being pushed off bikes--that's crime--pretending it's not there, is insignificant or resorting to highlighting crimes outside the city doesn't address the problem.

The point is well-made that the "majority" of civillians are exposed to relatively little crime--in reality crime is a far more pervasive, frequent and common than most citizens realize. Society as a whole is, in my opinion, becoming increasingly permissive and desensitized to crime--regardless of it's severity. The police cannot, and will not, be everywhere at all times. Increased patrols do have a positive effect--but not nearly as much impact as a motivated community. If that park was in my neighborhood I would be seriously concerned about pot-smoking youths, discarded syringes and used biohazardous condoms--I'd be lobbying to have some money sunk into the concert shell and if I had to, I'd be scrubbing those damn tags off the fountain. It seems to me that's a far bigger issue than the aesthetic of a brick entryway.

Indeed, I grew up in the suburbs (or exurbs for that matter)--but my family's roots are in the east end. On the day of my graduation from 8th Grade, we drove from Greensville down to Gage--I actually remember the evening vividly. We stopped at the Delta-area DQ and drove to the park. It was a quiet, warm, humid June evening--and for the only time in my life I got up on the stage of the band shell in the deserted park...my seminal memory of Gage Park.