Annapolis Capital Punishment

The below just came from Erin:

I read the article about the 15 year old shooting the 20 year old and it broke my heart. I agree that a curfew won't help in the slightest. If you make being outside illegal, then only criminals will be outside. God forbid you look young and don't have your ID on you.

I don't however agree with the solution of eliminating public housing. We need to get some money into this city that doesn't go straight to the Historic Society and instead goes toward funding housing that people can afford and be proud to live in.

I wish it were possible to get rid of the influx of guns and hard drugs into Annapolis by bringing the community together. The fact is, with Baltimore, one of the most dangerous cities in the country, 30 minutes away, we can't get rid of the accessibility of guns and drugs here. Things need to change over there as well.

We need to come together , look around, and realize that the people in the mansions, the people in the public housing, the people in apartments, and the people on the street, are all part of the community of Annapolis. I mean does Annapolis need town crier conventions and foot washes on the docks more than public services that work? Is that even what the people of Annapolis want?

I don't and clearly Mr. Foer doesn't. Anyone else?

Erin: Thanks so much for your letter which makes me feel better about this whole blogging thing. What I have been trying to do is to create a forum for community interest. You mention Baltimore, and I was wondering if you read my recent post about how the murder rate in Baltimore has steadily dropped while ours has steadily risen. Do you think there might be some kind of correlation?

As for the Town Crier thing, I had hoped to get residents to City Dock to all cry for our city! Yet I do think Annapolis needs all kinds of things beside just serious public safety initiatives, but what we really need are both. The huge rift between the very rich and the very poor is our number one social disease. As for public housing, I really would like to hear a strong argument in favor of it. Should government be in that business? When it turns from relief to welfare to entitlement to multi-generational despair, it's time to transform or overhaul it, or maybe remove it. We need a real community discussion about this but unfortunately the atmosphere has been so poisoned in our town that, well, it's not likely to move on much of anything until we get a new mayor. Thanks and keep reading and keep writing.