Rochester Park Crime Watch

Back in the 1940s and 50s, White Dallas residents and politicians purchased land and created laws that relegated Black Dallas residents to Rochester Park. Unknowingly to the Black residents at the time, Rochester Park was a flood plain, as were many other parts of Dallas. The Dallas politicians purchased land (some of which is now the downtown area), created laws that provided them economic benefit, and redeveloped their land, causing even more flood waters to be channeled to the Rochester Park area. (for more information, see Jim Schutze, The Accomodation.)

(fyi...This area is also known as Bon Ton, though in this blog, I most often refer to the housing development in Rochester Park called Turner Courts.)

Six months ago we started our very first Town Hall meeting in Turner Courts. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem, Dwaine Caraway, came with many different city staff and committed to us that he would not allow Rochester Park to be neglected anymore. For the next six months, he agreed to attend our meetings. With the exception of one meeting, he has been there and fulfilled his promise...and even when he's not there, he makes sure city staff people are. His assistant, Stephanie Pegues, has helped us tremendously and has always arranged for whatever city staff we asked for to attend the meeting. Mike Davis, has been an amazing advocate with us and for us--often, I'm sure, when we don't even know it.

We worked toward making changes by stopping the sale of single cigarettes, building friendships, and getting DART buses reinstated to run through the neighborhood. As a result of Wyshina's suggestion when we began the meetings, 15 of us in the neighborhood are now deputized to register people to vote.

Six months after we started, we are now taking the next step.

Though we started within our sphere of influence within Turner Courts, our efforts have now spread to the greater Rochester Park neighborhood. Last night, 13 of those residents came together to begin the process of creating an official Neighborhood Association/Crime Watch group. Sergeant Shelia Zimmerman came to present and brought two other police officers with her (it was truly encouraging to me to see the police cars parked outside and the two officers and one sergeant inside, knowing they were there to work with us!).

After presenting the information and helping residents understand the difference between a Neighborhood Association and a Crimewatch and the requirements of each, residents decided that they would become the Rochester Park Crime Watch.

I credit Sylvia Baylor for working hard to challenge people to come out. Because she no longer lives in Turner Courts, she is not eligible to be an officer. However, Sylvia remains a source of encouragement. She continues to work hard and remains dedicated to helping her friends and neighbors to keep the process moving. Below is Sylvia's email reminder to everyone about their upcoming meetings:

Mark your calendar!!! We will be having our next Roundtable Meeting to elect officers for The Rochester Park Crime Watch. It will be on July 7, 2008, from 6:00pm-7:30pm. The location for the meeting will be held at the After school Academy in Turner Courts, 6601 Bexar St. Dallas Tx, 75215. If you are interested in holding one of the offices you need to be present for this meeting. If you don't want to hold an office, we still want you to come.

Another note to mark on the calendar is July 12,2008, which is the Town Hall Meeting. It will be held at The Lord's Missionary Baptist Church at 6722 Bexar St, Dallas, Tx 75215, from 10am-11:30am. We will be talking about the Rochester Park Crime watch and any other issues that need to be addressed. Encourage some one to bring some one. As many of us know it is greatly need in our community.

Please email me or call and let me know if you are coming.

The growing response we are seeing reinforces my belief that people care about their neighborhood. Unfortunately, so much intentional neglect has soured them on the process. It takes time to move past the distrust and cynicism, but it is happening in Rochester Park.

"I don't want to do this anymore! I want to go back to my little church!"

Progress is long, hard, and tiresome.

Hope sometimes seems far-fetched and destined to be dashed.

On our 4th month of Town Hall meetings in the much-neglected Rochester Park neighborhood, I think we are all beginning to feel that the honeymoon period is over. The "easy" fixes have been accomplished and now we're back to the same 'ole, same 'ole responses:

"We don't have the money."

"Turner Courts will be torn down in a few years anyway so we can't sink money into it."

"If the residents would do their job..."

"You guys need to...."

Residents of Rochester Park have taken the time to initiate the Town Hall meetings and have gone door to door relentlessly trying to convince people to have faith in the process just one more time. They have stepped out to build relationships with each other and have moved beyond their comfort zone to build relationships with the different city entities...only to feel like they're being told in so many words by a few, "It's your fault it's like this. You guys aren't doing your job."

The issue on Saturday that began creating a heated situation was when we started talking about police issues.

Residents have been reprimanded for not calling 9-1-1 enough to report incidents (anything from shooting to kicking doors in to setting cars on fire to indecent exposure), yet when they do call 9-1-1, they often have frustrating experiences because the police who show up (oftentimes 45 minutes to hours later) explain, "There's nothing we can do."

It amazes me how much the residents are blamed, regardless of their willingness and attempts to make things better.

It frustrates me to no end to see how hard they work and how much faith they are willing to put into the process (despite the lack of resources and priority they have seen over their lifetime in that area) for them to be treated like they are the problem instead of the solution.

The problems in the Rochester Park area run so deep and have been going on for so long that these issues are much bigger than any one person or one entity can solve. It's nice that Dwaine Caraway, our city council member, attended our first three town hall meetings, but the issues are so much bigger than him. It's nice that the police have worked with Mr. Caraway to beef up police presence, but it's only going to work if the police are respectful to the residents trying to work with them and if they are looking at a long-term plan. It's nice that Mr. Caraway has initiated health inspections of the local corner stores (which, evidently, hadn't been done in months...or maybe even years!), but since they are the only two stores/businesses in the entire area, until the store owners have motivation to dust their shelves, monitor their expired foods, or make their business presentatable, residents will continue to have sub-standard stores.

The solutions offered so far are not inconsequential. In fact, they are very much appreciated. But they don't solve the issues of the neighborhood over the long haul. Not yet, anyway.

Listening to all the talk surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, I think King would understand exactly what we are dealing with. King recognized that poor people were not being heard and they were not valued. The Poor People's Campaign was his beginning attempt at bringing the issue to the forefront...and some believe he was assassinated for pushing that issue. Promoting equity is costly. It challenges power structures; it affects pocket books.

Taylor Branch, in his book At Canaan's Edge, tells how King got frustrated at one point and shouted, "I don't want to do this anymore! I want to go back to my little church!"

I empathize with King. Sometimes I think it would be nice to go back to my quiet, rural town in Missouri.

In some ways, we are no further along today than we were in 1968. In many ways, we are fighting the exact same battles King fought then. But though he may not have reached the "mountaintop," he challenged the system. And as a result of his work, things did change.

Though the residents in Rochester Park are meeting with resistance from some and "explanations" for why they should accept sub-standard conditions from others, residents are pushing back.

The residents of Rochester Park may not reach their "mountaintop" either, but I have hope that their hard work will challenge the city to think differently about the people and the area that it has chosen to neglect for years.

The power of community

Our Rochester Park "community" is growing!!

I had just gotten home from work and my phone rang telling me I had a text message:

8:19 I HAVE A WITNESS THAT THEY ARE BACK SELLING SINGLE CIGARETTES

After having a meeting with the store owners and explaining legal and appropriate practices of stores, they had stopped selling single cigarettes. Evidently, the store owners think we're no longer watching!

Despite Evette going back to work and being unable to be at some of our community meetings, she's making sure the community is staying on track!

After exchanging a few texts, Evette said she could be at the next community meeting to prepare us for the Town Hall meeting. PLUS, she said, she's bringing a friend!!

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This afternoon the kids were at the After-School Academy having a "tye-dye party" as a part of their Spring Break activities. Mayrea walked in and hung out, helping out where needed.

Mayrea came to our last Town Hall meeting. After we had left the meeting, she and I talked for a little bit. She was excited about how the meeting had turned out and said she wanted to make sure and come to the next one.

She and her 13-year old son have been volunteering at the After-School Academy ever since. Seeing her excitement, I also talked to her about brainstorming our Community Clean-up project idea for this summer. She immediately agreed to help out.

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Ms. Lori came to prepare lunch for the kids today. Lori has become an amazing force in the community.

Lori's neighbor, Rochelle, had come to check on her two boys in the After-School Academy. When she walked in, Sylvia and Lori immediately started asking her about attending the next community meeting.

As Rochelle hesitated and tried to come up with excuses, Lori explained to her that she just needs to take the first step and it would be easier after that. Lori went on explaining that her own reason for getting involved was because she "didn't have anything better to do" and "might as well." (and we are so glad that has been the case!)

Lori finally told Rochelle she may have to just go grab her and drag her out to the next meeting. That seemed an acceptable solution to Rochelle.

You know, sometimes we need a friend/a neighbor to stand alongside us for support...sometimes we need them to "drag" us. That's what COMMUNITY is all about. Community is about support. Community is about holding each other accountable. Community is sometimes pushing people into things they don't think they want to be involved in because they can't yet see the benefit.

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After I went back to the office, I heard a loud knock at the door. Mr. Rhodes was just passing by on his way to pick up his wife.

When I answered the door, he simply said, "I can't stay, but I wanted to give you this."

He handed me a complete CD recording of our last Town Hall meeting! "Listen to it. I think you'll find some interesting things to take notes on."

Mr. Rhodes is an asset. He's lived in the community for 60+ years and is often so frustrated with the lack of progress over the years that he has a hard time wanting to get involved again. But he has a desire and a passion to document what happens in South Dallas.

Because of him, we just may have a way to document the little and big successes of the residents of Rochester Park!

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Just the other day Sylvia excitedly told me how Ms. Haynes began helping Mr. Williams learn how to use the computer.

That doesn't sound like much until you realize that less than a year ago Ms. Haynes had no idea what "Google" was. As a result of coming to the Educational Outreach Center every day it's open, she has learned how to "surf the 'net" and many other things on the computer. Now she is beginning to teach others.

Ms. Haynes has also come to some of our community meetings. Both she and Mr. Williams have been a part of our Town Hall meetings and utilize the Educational Outreach Center's computer lab now on a regular basis.

People are coming together! People are beginning to see the value in each other! People are beginning to see how they can effect change in the community.

THAT is EXCITING!