I care for my neighborhood

Same block as a fatal shooting a few weeks (maybe months back). Great.

Short of there being a cop or two on every block endlessly circling the block (which I would love but it''ll never happen in today's economy) or the shooter being caught red-handed by a cop - there's not much to be done.

The cited article/blog mentions a couple of reasons - if someone is picked up, there are no witnesses. It's understandable at times for a citizen not wanting to step up and finger a shooter - that shooter's associates are still out and about. That's an age old problem that law enforcement and civilized society has always had to deal with.

Unless we allow the police to round up every single person affiliated w/ the alleged shooter and keep them in holding until after a trial - criminal gangs and groups have an extremely effective way of keeping their members out on the streets - scaring citizens.

The other reason cited, re the case of the 2 guys shot in their car - Disrespect.

Disrespect" is not a legit reason to kill, what it means in essence is - any fool w/ a gun can kill you for any reason at anytime. How does anyone or any governing force or authority legislate or protect themselves against an individual's personal feelings? You can't, it's madness.

Cops living outside of the city, us vs them mentality, rookies writing bullshit tickets - all are topics suitable for another discussion - but they have nothing to do w/ knuckleheads killing each other at all hours of the day over drugs, territory or because they felt "disrespected".

That crap is self inflicted, and until the day enough of the knuckleheads kill each other off, or get locked up or they and their families move away - its not going to stop.

It's interesting because the Daily News just published an opinion piece that really condemns Councilman Vann for "neglecting" Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights and the "crisis of violence" in the community.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/09/10/2009-09-10_a_sorry_excuse_for_a_leader_councilman_al_vann_is_neglecting_his_brooklyn_neighb.html

Note - I think calling Vann a "sorry excuse" is harsh, particularly because he has done some good things for the community, including supporting youth programs, but outside of that, I agree with the substance of the article.

If we want change, we have to get out and vote!

I urge anyone who is concerned about public safety in this community to attend the 77th Precinct Council meetings.
(http://brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=52984)
Yes, they can be tedious but they are an incredible place for networking with people who really can & do make a difference
There is no magic formula here, it boils down to 2 things:
persistence & the squeakiest wheel

make that 3 things:
persistence, the squeakiest wheel & caring