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Issue Date February 22, 2006

"The Brotherhood meeting united the American Legion, Evening Women?s Club of Arlington, The Lions? Club, Junior Women?s Club, Kiwanis Club of Kearny, Kearny Optimist Club, Optimist Club of West/South Bergen and the Rotary Club of Kearny.

?It is gratifying to see all of our community?s leaders join together in such force at this year?s Brotherhood Luncheon,? said Dressler, past president of the Kearny Rotary and former director of public relations at West Hudson Hospital. ?Curtis Sliwa?s presentation is passionate and honest and brings home the value of volunteerism and the impact it has on communities. Those of us associated with the service organizations that gather at this annual meeting can appreciate his commitment to improve the human condition in our communities.?

The Rotary Club of Kearny, celebrating its 50th year in the community, hosted this year?s Brotherhood Meeting Luncheon, which drew more than 150 community leaders.

?With the relationship between the Salvation Army and service clubs, it was a natural fit to have the luncheon here,? said Smith. ?It (the annual meeting) shows the Kearny community who is partnering and caring for the community. It shows the power of working together.?



Curtis Sliwa (left), founder of the Guardian Angels, joined local community
organizations at The Salvation Army of the Greater Kearny Area to discuss
volunteerism and brotherhood. Capt. Myron Smith (right), hosted the event
sponsored by the Kearny Rotary Club.
Photo by Bill Gregorio
Guardian Angel stresses importance of volunteerism

By Monica Curry
The Observer




Curtis Sliwa came to The Salvation Army of the Greater Kearny Area to
speak about volunteerism with local community organizations. Below, Curtis
Sliwa at podium, right: Captain Myron Smith and members of the Kearny
Rotary Club gather for photo after the brotherhood luncheon. More than 125
people attended this years event that was sponsored by the Kearny Rotary.

Photo by Bill Gregorio

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Right you are, OneSkirt! Great job you're doin' helpin' the JCGA with behind the scene help gettin flyers printed and hope some of your friends will help post and distribute through Trivia, etc.

Last night Mike, Barrios and Dwayne of the JCGA and myself made it to JC ACORN.org mtg and I spoke about the GA mtg. nxt wk. and most of the folks there were from Greenville or other parts of Ward F.

The JCGA handed out probably close to 200 flyers, we met and spoke with many folks who are comin' from other neighborhoods in Ward F and appreciated our comin' to speak.

Just like OneSkirt says above, we're buildin' here first with the JCGA cause we brought 'em but we're tryin' to work with other neighborhoods by reachin' out w/ this first of many mtgs. to come w/ the JCGA.

I mean cut us some slack,folks, particularly Pisces1979. We've got media coverage on the crime problem, front pg and a half in the Times, major public mtg. in new school downtown w/fancy auditorium and the Council President, Mariano Vega as special guest to speak, plus other neighborhood assn and watch groups to speak. I'd say we've done several months work in two weeks so give us time and you'll see even more cause we have NO agenda but dealing with issues of safety, security for all, not just us vocal cranks downtown (we're lovable cranks though, most of the time )

Councilpersons Viola Richardson of Ward F and Steve Fulop our "hardest workin' person" in Ward E were both there to speak and both had focused, common sense statements I'll post later when had some sleep (gettin' like jc_insomniac and stayin' up all night, but fadin' finally just when I need to get up to go to doc; dumb me )

Apropos de rien, I sat next to Curtis Sliwa on the PATH last week.

The woman on the other side of him was some kind of JC community volunteer, and she was buttonholing him the whole time about getting involved with her group.

Also, let's not forget that this chapter of the Jersey City Guardian Angels is a NEW chapter. Their numbers are small thus far. It takes man-power to patrol various neighborhoods. They are actively recruiting, talking to people from all neighborhoods and of all races and ages. So give them a chance to build up their numbers and spread their mission to the various communities. Downtown is the starting point. You have to start somewhere.

I don't call breaking the law "nightlife". I call it crime, and I don't do it. Accosting fellow pedestrians in the street, and intimidating others is not, "having a little fun"

You can call it classist if you like. But, in this argument the issue of "Class" has nothing to do with your tax bracket, and everything to do with whether or not you have "CLASS"

What complete nonsense shall you bombard us with next?

If one wishes to not be criminalized, do not F*** with my quality of life.

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I'm always confused: is it the petit-bourgeois that make you fat or the petit-fours?

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Taking your last reference first, I have read Bernard Harcourt and agree with most of the thesis of the book, "Illusion of Order: The False Promise of Broken Windows".

For instance:

"In Illusion of Order, Harcourt urged that much broader questions about punishment and criminal justice be asked rather than questioning whether strategies like broken windows policing do or do not work. ?We need to ask how these methods for policing disorder shape our citizens, our civic culture and our social relations. Rather than viewing disorder as the cause of crime, perhaps we need to reexamine connections between crime and neighborhood poverty and stability. What is the relationship between order maintenance and our treatment of the unemployed? How will curfews and antiloitering ordinances affect our children?s intellectual and cultural development??

We are a pro-active community. Last Friday, the JCGA and members of this community, including myself, JCListers, the President of VVPA and Curtis Sliwa, all were at the Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County.

We came to show our support for Alberta Walker's Youth Activities Community program and that we care about these children, many at high risk.

Part of the JCGA being here is to work for providing neighborhood solutions that, from Harcourt's own words above, "...reexamine connections between crime and neighborhood poverty and stability."

We are looking for ways to use all our resources to help not only downtown but reaching out to all of JC.

Rather than "...hope the Guardian Angels will go somewhere else besides downtown. We all know that other neighborhoods, like west side avenue, for example, need the guardian angels more than downtown.", Pisces1979, why don't you help make that happen?

Come to the public mtg. next week to address these questions in a public forum where you will find us all receptive to those excellent suggestions.

The JCGA asked us to help organize this downtown public mtg. not only to address issues downtown but to provide the opportunity for others to bring these very questions to the forefront.

Also, are you coming to this Thursday's, March 9th Jersey City ACORN.org mtg. at St. Paul's Church on affordable housing?

The JCGA and myself will be there handing out flyers with their contact info, reaching out to other neighborhoods to organize mtgs. in their respective neighborhoods and to join us on March 16th at Middle School #4.

What will you be doing that day? Do you want to join us to reachout to others, or do you want to further hide behind this board with rhetorical rants of "...criminalization and disenfranchisment of working people, especially African-Americans."

PM or email me if you're down with "walking the walk", instead of "talkin' the talk", and join us.

Gil Scott-Heron said it well "back-in-the-day":

"The Revolution will not be televised...but it will, put you in the driver's seat!"

Are you driving or watching tv?

Are the petit-bourgeois the same as the regular bourgeois only shorter?

I really hope the Guardian Angels will go somewhere else besides downtown. We all know that other neighborhoods, like west side avenue, for example, need the guardian angels more than downtown.
I also think there is a sick classist and racist undertone to all of this talk about "cracking down on quality of life crimes". When working people want to have some fun you call it "a quality of life crime", when the petit-bourgeois and the bourgeois do it it's called called "nightlife".
The true aim of the "quality of life" laws is the criminalization and disenfranchisment of working people, especially African-Americans. The "broken windows" theory has been called into doubt, check this out:

Illusion of Order: The False Promise of Broken Windows Policing
by Bernard Harcourt (Harvard University Press, 2001. 288 pp.)

I don't know exactly how it is done but you might try the NY TV news WCBS, etc. They seem to be more than willing to cover JC lately. Might even like it as a tie in to the Gotti/Sliwa trial coverage and/or Times article.

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Spoke to Jason Fink (City Editor) at Jersey Journal this afternoon and he is sending reporter and photographer to cover mtg. that night. Sent email to others to announce mtg. in calendar, etc.

Pchops also spoke to the Hudson Reporter this morning

If you know of specific media please forward.

BTW, Minnie,you were sent these docs as well. Please post, email and blog like dojo-mojo if you can. Thanks!

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Don't be bummed, dojo-mojo. While all of us would have liked to have seen the GA mtg. notice in the article we should be thankful for the coverage.

Jonathan Miller is an excellent writer for the NYT. We spoke both in person and on the phone the night of the Downtown Watch's "Midnight Patrol". Jonathan had the GA press release with all info, but knowing that as each paper/mag has their own internal "style" requirements it is likely that even if he submitted mtg. info that his editor following "NYT style" would not have included that info.

Still, both the JCGA, neighborhood watches, JC police, politicians and many downtown residents were interviewed as background for ths piece and getting a full page and a half coverage, front pg. lead on the NJ section and 4 color photos makes this among the most important articles in the NYT to run on Jersey City.

Woody Allen once said that "Eighty percent of success is showing up." All of you did just that with very cold, 20 degree weather, and we got a great article out of all the effort.

Good job Jonathan Miller, Guardian Angels, Van Vorst Park Neighborhood Watch, Jersey City Neighborhood Watch (JCNWA) and other JCListers who showed up that night!

Yes, we have emailed the papers, neighborhood groups, local websites and other bloggers [like myself].

Somebody should submit it to the Jersey Journal and the Hudson Reporter so it's well saturated throughtout the area.

And the neighborhood groups should help get the word out.

I'm really bummed that the Times piece didn't mention the GA info session that many residents and neighborhood groups worked so hard to put together in support of the GAs. Did Miller drop the ball on that one, or did the editors?

I have something to do on Thurs. night, but I'm going to try and stop by directly afterward. It's good to know the Angels are here to stay for a while and I appreciate the notice of the meeting.

About that article in the NY times concerning crime downtown..... you know it's not good when neighborhood residents are going out at night walking the streets looking to ward off crime or catch criminals in their tracks. They are our beat cops for pete's sake! They've been doing this before the Guardian Angels got here... so I think that speaks for itself. Crime has gotten worse, or it hasn't gotten any better and downtown, with new construction busting out everywhere, still does have a problem with crime. The NY times article has shed more light on it.

Mark Adams ~ Chapter Leader
201-304-5167

Number on press release below is incomplete.

This is excellent. I will be in attendance and will try to encourage some friends to attend too.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2006

CONTACT: PRESS: 347-789-7508
Jersey City Guardian Angels
Mark Adams ~ Chapter Leader ~ 201-304-167
guardianangelsnynj@hotmail.com
www.guardianangels.org



Jersey City Guardian Angels announce Public Meeting on Safety and Security: ?Dare to Care?

The Jersey City Guardian Angels announce a public meeting on safety and security with ?Dare to Care?as their motto. Members of the Downtown Watch, Van Vorst Park Watch, Boys and Girls Clubs of Hudson County, Dixon Deli, and others will also speak on crime prevention.

The Downtown Watch has secured facilities near Van Vorst Park for the JC Chapter of the Guardian Angels to hold a public information meeting for all residents of Jersey City.

This important meeting will be held on Thursday, March 16th from 7:30 until 9PM at the new Frank R. Conwell Middle School #4 auditorium/theater, located at 107-108 Bright Street which is between Monmouth and Jersey Ave.

All residents of Jersey City are welcome and the Guardian Angels will address various programs they administer and they will answer questions from the general public about working with other neighborhoods and neighborhood groups throughout all areas of Jersey City.

The Jersey City Chapter of the Guardian Angels covers Jersey City, Newark, and parts of New York including Queensbridge, Canarsie, Red Hook and Sunset Park. There are approximately 20 members of this chapter including 6 who are Jersey City residents.

The Guardian Angels members are widely diverse and include life-long Jersey City resident,Tony Torres, Chief of Staff for Freeholder Eliu Rivera and another Jersey City member, ?Mike?, is an alumnus of NYU, former reporter and now teacher, who says that the Guardian Angels are ?inter-activists? who are ??there to assist, there to care.? ?We use our over 27 years of experience to help neighborhoods help themselves.? This enables both communities and police to work better, through safety and security tips of alertness that can be taught and how to make incident reportings of suspicious activities.

The JCGA chapter leader is Mark Adams who lived in Jersey City Heights for 14 years. Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, has directed that the JC chapter shall patrol virtually every day and night at this time until further notice.

The Guardian Angels patrols are also working with the combined patrols of the Downtown Watch monthly neighborhood patrol that consists of members of the Jersey City Neighborhood Watch Assn. (JCNWA) and the Van Vorst Park Neighborhood Watch (VVPNW).

This initial gathering of the JC Guardian Angels was brought about by the muggings of the wife of JC Council President Mariano Vega?s wife and the armed mugging and theft of the Dixon Deli. The owner and wife of the Dixon Deli are also members of the Guardian Angels. Contact with Curtis Sliwa brought the Guardian Angels to form a chapter in Jersey City.

Supporters of this informational meeting include:

Jersey City Neighborhood Watch:
jcnwa@comcast.net

Van Vorst Park Watch:
v v n w a t c h@ g m a i l . c o m

Alberta Walker/Youth Achievement Center of Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County:
awalker@bgchc.org

and other neighborhood groups. (final names TBA: final revisions due Mon, March 6 @ 10PM)