Westown Block Watch

So Close To Home

Dec 26, 2007

Westown is a neighborhood of 1500 homes, 3 apartment complexes and
several businesses.It also boasts one of the best schools in the Washington
Elementary School District. Residents who live in our neighborhood should be
proud to live here because Westown has an active block watch which has helped
fuel rising property values and deterred crime in our area.
There are a few things that need your attention in our neighborhood.

1. Graffiti
Graffiti has plagued our neighborhood for awhile but has been very bad lately.
There is graffiti on fences, electrical boxes, telephone poles and many more
places. When we see graffiti we need to report it so it can be removed. The
sooner it is painted over or pressure washed off the less likely that the low life
that is doing the graffiti will strike again. If we see someone doing this illegal act it
should be reported to the police immediately. We should not assume someone
else will call it in. Please just pick up the phone and call the graffiti hotline at 602-
495-7014

2. Driving skills
Westown is a small active community that has children playing outside, people
jogging or walking and cars traveling through the neighborhood. Many times
there are close calls because people are pulling out of their street onto another
street without stopping and they don?’t even look to see if anyone is coming their
way. I personally have witnessed this with both a person jogging almost being hit
and a car almost being hit. Is it really worth it to not stop at the end of a street
before proceeding. The law is you must stop before proceeding. The definition of
stop in the dictionary is:
to cease activity or operation b : to come to an end especially suddenly.
Because we don?’t stop and look, the time to save two seconds could cause pain
for a long time. Also being courteous while driving in our neighborhood is
contagious and appreciated. If you see someone backing out of their driveway
don?’t speed up, slow down
and let them go first. It is the neighborly thing to do.It is against the law to pass
on the right using the bike lane when you are in a car. The bike lane is for bikes
only. If it is a one lane road (all roads in Westown are one lane) you are not
allowed to pass on the right. Often times when people get in a car good manners
seem to get lost. People seem invincible behind the wheel.

We cannot change the world but we can make a difference in our own
community. It starts with respect and selflessness not selfishness. This seems to
be more and more of a lost art. Let?’s make a difference in our own neighborhood
and practice safety while we drive through.