Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman
I woke up to a text message from uber-citizen Megan Goodmundson this morning, informing me that a "We Watch We Call" sign was left in the middle of an intersection in the southern part of Hawthorne. Now it's possible that maybe the wind blew it there, right? Yeah, I didn't think so either.
Anyone who is now missing their sign, come to the Hawthorne office. We've got a shiny new one waiting for you and there's plenty more where that came from.
But I'm like the Johnny Appleseed of sign spam. For every legitimate sign that someone takes down, I'll find two that don't belong and I'll deal with them accordingly. The first one was at...
...26th and Lyndale in front of New Salem.
And then there was the one in front of Farview Park at 29th and Lyndale.
I've got to give the towing guy credit though. At least he recycled/reused a previous spam sign.
I would have picked it up myself, however, I was late for work plus I thought it would be good physical therapy for your final stages of rehab after your tragic encounter with the Dumpinator3000.
ReplyDeleteOh, the humanity!
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of an ANIMAL could do such a thing??
Today is the day that Jesus died. If you don't remember he was turned in by a snitch for 30 pieces of silver.
ReplyDeleteYou should be celebrating Jesus today instead of trying to live up to the image of that snitch Judas.
But you're right. If someone stole your sign from private property, that's not good.
I'm thinking it would be kind of fun to have a scavenger hunt of sorts. We could gather somewhere, break up into teams, then drive around NOMI collecting signs off boulevards, utility poles, etc. (only the ones placed on public property, of course). Then, after an hour, we get back together and see who collected the most, the funniest, the lamest, the dumbest, etc.
ReplyDeleteLEL
Yeah, MikeT, I know, it's rather trivial. It really is. But something tells me it was in direct response to the activities being done and discussed on this blog and therefore relevant to post here.
ReplyDeleteShamika- are you trying to say that the drug dealers & gang bangers are like Jesus????
ReplyDeleteWe need a much stronger Law Enforcement presence in NoMi. This is horrible. I have no doubt it was one of those thug hugging members of the stop snitching movement who did this.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see the cops plant a few of these signs around the neighborhood and wait for the criminal element thugs to come and try to steal them. Sounds like a hate crime to me.
The Bible teaches us that snitching is wrong, and this highlights that lesson.
ReplyDeleteJesus became violent and overturned money-changer's tables in the Temple. In the Apocrypha, a young Jesus pushed a kid off of a roof and killed him. If anonymous thinks Jesus is a thug, then I guess he can have it his way.
Um, Shamika, your analogy only goes so far. Jesus, after all, was innocent.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, if you're right, then it means that without snitches, Jesus wouldn't have been crucified, and nobody would ever get into Heaven.
Yes I think the 4th precinct should do a better job at protecting the We Watch We Call signs. They function as an extension of the MPD by deterring crime and are worthy of increased enforcement. In fact, if the MPD puts a Hmong officer in the 4th during the day the signs could also be put out in Hmong to ensure that all criminals know that crime is not tolerated in NOMI.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea 12:53. I'd like one of those signs in Somali. I have Somali neighbors I've called 911 on plenty of times. It would be nice if I had a sign up so they knew I wasn't messing around.
ReplyDeleteHawkman, do you know where I could get such a thing?
Spanish would be good too...
I think the most articulate commentary on the we watch we call signs can be found here:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/y95kp47
Marque is a 20+ year resident of north Minneapolis and has developing amazing relationships over the years with friend and foe. I think it would be good for everyone who puts a we watch we call sign on their yard to also read his commentary.
He expresses what it means to be a neighbor and not simply strangers to each other.
An excerpt:
I applaud the desire to help bring community members together and I support efforts to fight crime. I have worked for over 20 years to help make my neighborhood a safer (and friendlier) community. My wife and I frequently Watch and Call. However helping to create a strong community needs more than threats to call the police...
I'm white and have chosen not to put a sign in my yard because I feel it sends the wrong message. I also don't want anyone to suspect I'm the jerk that got them arrested and think they need to come talk to me. I watch, I call, but I prefer to be anonymous about it.
ReplyDeleteI call 311 too... pick up your trash neighbor!
Some people just aren't reasonable (or sober) enough to go have a conversation with, and that's exactly what city services are for.
I would sooner pick up the trash in my neighbors yard than go ask him nicely to do it himself. I doubt a person who doesn't mind living in litter would suddenly change their mind just because I asked them politely.
To Lance,
ReplyDeleteAre there individuals who speak Spanish, Somali or Hmong that are ASKING for signs in those languages? I'm not opposed to it, but the signs as they are now (in English) present a united front. If there is a We Watch We Call sign in another language, I would assert it should be next to one in English.
What about Hindi? हमें देखो हम कॉल
ReplyDeleteYou NOMI revitalizers think everyone speaks English and that just isn't the case. You need to be more diverse in the signs you choose to put up in the neighborhood so you don't alienate others.
About how many different languages would be needed to include everybody who needs to be included?
ReplyDeleteI think before signs in other languages are printed, there would need to be a clear idea how many are actually needed, and it should be a number to make printing more worthwhile.
@Anon 11:39:
ReplyDeletenot exactly.
हम देखकर फ़ोन करते हैं
The anonymous (and fake) commenters that are suggesting the signs be printed in other languages should be using the
ReplyDeleteDon't get sucked into their idiocy, John.
Lance, I'm not aware of the signs being available in any other languages besides English.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I agree that before being printed in any other languages (Hmong and Spanish would make the most sense in the 4th Precinct) there would need to be a known demand to justify the production costs. However, I don't think they'd need to be placed beside an English sign. Keep the same font and colors and we can figure out pretty easily what it means, even in Esperanto: ni rigardas nin vokas.
I think we definately need signs in other languages. The stop snitching movement is one of the most dangerous menaces to face this country in decades.
ReplyDeleteThe police have made some progress in the case of the raped 7 year old in Trenton, NJ but would have probably solved the case if it weren't for all the people who don't snitch. Law enforcement are heroes, but they do need our help.
I'm going out to take my morning walk now. I'll have my cell phone and intend to place several calls to 311 about my neighbors.
Since the pope is now the most visible face of the international "stop snitching/protect the pedophiles" movement, maybe the signs just need to be in German.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a lot of the criminals in NoMi speak German, so that sign probably isn't necessary.
ReplyDeleteSomali and Spanish on the other hand...