Annapolis Capital Punishment

EASTPORT RESIDENTS--LET'S TAKE TO THE STREETS! LET'S HAVE A MAJOR PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION IN FAVOR OF MORE POLICE, COMMUNITY POLICING, STATE ASSISTANCE--WHATEVER WE NEED TO CONFRONT VIOLENT CRIME IN OUR MIDST. OUR OWN MAYOR AND POLICE CHIEF SEEM UNABLE TO MAKE ANYTHING HAPPEN

Gunfire in Eastport, has become a common occurrence. Shock Trauma-bound helicopters from the State Police land and take off from the nearby Fire Station with increasing frequency, a related, though not necessarily always directly related phenomenon. One did so just this morning. It is one of the reasons why former Alderman and now County Councilman Josh Cohen and his family moved to West Annapolis. In nearly 28 years of living in Eastport, I have twice found guns or spent shells on the streets of Eastport. I am often woken up by gunfire. We have had murders in Eastport as well. Many other residents are growing weary and are trying to deal with this unbearable situation.

See The Capital for an article about what residents are doing and for some responses by readers, some of them quite pointed and heated: www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/readne/2007/12_18-18/TOP

Also, below I have posted a letter from an Eastport resident which after a month, has gone unanswered by the Mayor and City Council. The fact that this local activist and resident, who also happens to head up a non-profit organization, cannot get a reply, tells us a lot. The Mayor asks, "What are we missing?" but seems not to listen when she gets suggestions. Meanwhile, the police chief and she argue with the Housing Authority director. Residents are fed up with the ongoing crisis and ongoing, multi-generational failure of the plethora of public housing and its crime-related challenges. The Mayor calls for Segways and a horse and a change in police shifts. The police say they don't want the Segways or horses. The residents wants a more determined effort to get police on the force and out on the streets. The Mayor is in denial about this and continues to claim that we are not understaffed. The residents want community policing and more police in the problem areas. The Chief cannot elucidate what community policing means to him and continues to say that police presence should be dispersed evenly throughout the City of Annapolis.

We are the State Capital. We are closing this year with a record homicide rate. Aldermen are frustrated. Residents are angry. More police will retire in the coming year. It would seem that only the criminals would be pleased by the situation. They are probably laughing about it. We may need a Marshall Dillon or Spiderman or Batman to swing into town and clean things up. Mayor Moyer, until you come out of denial that the vacant police positions are the major issue, residents are unlikely to believe much else of what you say.

We can and must do better. This has reaching the boiling point. Stay tuned.