Merchants and residents have voiced serious objections to the ?“out-of-control?” picture of:
PROSTITUTION up and down the corridors of the Inner City
USE OF DRUGS in cars and 18 wheelers.
SELLING OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA ?– gas stations, convenience stores and liquor stores.
PANHANDLING ?– gas stations, street corners, convenience stores, liquor stores and high traffic sites.
STREET GAMBLING - dice
SOP
It is standard operating procedure to see prostitution, day and evening, in full force along major corridors such as North Avenue and Fond du Lac Avenues. This is unacceptable.
It is standard operating procedure to see SOMEONE PULL UP and begin to ?“inject?”, sell and/or ?“smoke drugs?” in front of a home or business.
The behavior is seen on the streets, in front of houses and businesses, as well as in parking lots.
It is standard operating procedure to see 18-Wheelers parked on the corridors.
Some are being used for ''on-the-street?” motels and drug use. Not only have residents seen the prostitutes enter and leave, they also see debris that evidence drug and sex use ?– condons and syringes.
A place where individuals ?– prostitutes and those they work with, provide a convenient and somewhat inconspicious place for doing drugs and prostitution.
It is standard operating procedure to see bluts, especially flavor-wrapped paraphernalia sold at convenience stores, liquor stores and gas station in mass. It is a regular ''buy'' of our young and adult citizenry. This is unacceptable.
It is standard operating procedure to see panhanding, to a distraction sometimes, on busy corners, in front of convenient stores, in front of gas stations, in front of liquor stores; and, in front of high traffic areas. This is unacceptable.
During the summer, street gambling is visible in the neighborhood in front of houses, beside houses, in the alley way and the street corner. This is unacceptable.
OPERATION SAFETY
Operation Safety is a self-empowering plan. It requires everyone to participate for the betterment of good.
In order to impact the above five (5) items, ?“linkage?” is needed 24/7 from the neighborhood ?– business/block/social/association, law enforcement, social service organizations, w-2, human service, elected officials, churches, faith-based organizations, volunteers, business organizations, funders and regulators.
We will seek the ears of those in charge of Vice and Regulating Licenses to help crack down on the proliferation of unwanted behavior in the business and residential districts of the Inner City. However, this is a ''PEOPLE-PROBLEM'' in the neighborhood. The folks in the neighborhood must have a willingness to participate, be informed on specific and linked ways of reporting, and they must be constantly feed information for continuity.
This is an ON-GOING need.
Since those who are engaging on a regular basis ARE IN BUSINESS and receive payment of some kind, we must provide acceptable and convincing ALTERNATIVES as OPTIONS for change.
We MUST NOT RELY on ''jailing/incarceration?” as a SOLUTION. At best, it may be a HIGH COST band aid approach.
We will also seek the hands-on agenda of the business community, social service organizations, private funders, media outlets and our government (city/county/state/federal) services to help provide ways and means of employment and behavior modification.
We ask YOU, the reader, to also help through volunteerism and any other way you can help make a systematic difference.
