Men Organize Patrol Group After Attack

**MizMotown** · August-18-10, 08:24 AM

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/24663536/detail.html

Now THAT'S what i'm talking about! Maybe, just maybe, one by one people will begin to look for solutions and come together as one and say, "we've had enough and we are not going to take it anymore." We can't wait around for mayors, government, presidents, police departments to fix all we consider wrong in this world.

I PRAY that this works and takes hold to everyone is doing their part to fight crime and poverty in this city, this county, and this world.

lilpup · August-18-10, 08:28 AM

Patrols like this aren't new to the city. They come and go.

**MizMotown** · August-18-10, 08:31 AM

I understand that. But maybe oneday it will catch on and make a difference.

Sorry, I like to see the glass half full!

**MizMotown** · August-18-10, 08:33 AM

A huge problem with the world is most people have changed their names to Debbie or Dan Downer.

**Meddle** · August-18-10, 08:39 AM

An original idea from about the 70s or so.

**guito13** · August-18-10, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by MizMotown

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/24663536/detail.html

Now THAT'S what i'm talking about! Maybe, just maybe, one by one people will begin to look for solutions and come together as one and say, "we've had enough and we are not going to take it anymore." We can't wait around for mayors, government, presidents, police departments to fix all we consider wrong in this world.

I PRAY that this works and takes hold to everyone is doing their part to fight crime and poverty in this city, this county, and this world.

Gunna have to do a lot more than pray...

**GOAT** · August-18-10, 09:20 AM

This is a positive step. Now if only those 300 men can add another 3,000 Detroit might, just might, start to turn around. Until then at least one neighbourhood won't be victimized any longer.

**MizMotown** · August-18-10, 09:37 AM

Gunna have to do a lot more than pray...

Very true, but it's a start.

"When all else fails. Try Jesus." :-)

**guito13** · August-18-10, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by MizMotown

Gunna have to do a lot more than pray...

Very true, but it's a start.

"When all else fails. Try Jesus." :-)

"To each their own"

Sad that people in the city have to provide their own security but kudos for them! Even in the 'burbs people are arming themselves to protect the ones they love!

**daddeeo** · August-18-10, 09:42 AM

And look what happened to him...he got crucified for his troubles.
I hope this vigilante action will deter crime and not cause more problems.
Remember when Stress started out as a good idea that went bad?

**Zacha341** · August-18-10, 09:49 AM

Great news! A positive effort against the enabling "don't snitch-don't tell!", "crime is everywhere" justification which has lead us down this path where our elders are brutalized! With criminals boldly troll the streets day and night seeking their next mark!

Are they having a central meeting locations? No need to wait for Sharpton, Jackson et al.... Community organizing is not based off someone stepping off a jet. It starts neighborhood by neighborhood.

Originally Posted by MizMotown

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/24663536/detail.html

Now THAT'S what i'm talking about! Maybe, just maybe, one by one people will begin to look for solutions and come together as one and say, "we've had enough and we are not going to take it anymore." We can't wait around for mayors, government, presidents, police departments to fix all we consider wrong in this world.

I PRAY that this works and takes hold to everyone is doing their part to fight crime and poverty in this city, this county, and this world.

**bailey** · August-18-10, 10:04 AM

Nobody is going to comment on the person leading this effort? name doesn't ring a bell?

ps... if you go to his website, you can vote for him as Best Community Leader

**Zacha341** · August-18-10, 10:23 AM

Yeah I found his website.... I am studying it now...

http://www.raphaelbjohnson.com/raphael4citycouncil.html

Originally Posted by bailey

Nobody is going to comment on the person leading this effort? name doesn't ring a bell?

ps... if you go to his website, you can vote for him as Best Community Leader

**GOAT** · August-18-10, 10:32 AM

...who cares if he runs for council. in a 3rd world city it shold be "by any means necessary" especially with dealing with such low-lifes.

**MizMotown** · August-18-10, 11:46 AM

We are in a society that has made people lazy and fearful to take a stand against most things that are not right. One of these days there will be no other choice. There has got to be a better way. Just holding that in mind created as Albert Einstein said, "....endless possibilities."

"To each their own" :-)

It is better to believe than to disbelieve;
in so doing, you bring everything
to the realm of possibility.

~ Albert Einstein ~

“Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them." Albert Einstein

How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people.

**fryar** · August-18-10, 12:13 PM

Nice one, MizMotown. :-)

Listen, this is obviously totally necessary, and I have often wondered to myself why Detroit did not have a massive Guardian Angel presence - those dudes with the red berets, but: Those dudes are controversial for a reason. Vigilanteism is always potentially dangerous. We can't have these guys go around looking for suspects, whose descriptions they have, and beating them to a bloody pulp, of course. The perp may deserve it, but what if they get the wrong guy, there's a reason we have a legal system, yadda yadda yadda. We have all seen that Law & Order episode. What's more, I imagine they have discussed this amongst themselves, and pledged to uphold some kind of protocol or something, have addressed this issue. But if this thing takes root or grows instead of petering out - which, again, would be incredibly good news, on the whole - that aspect may have eroded over time.

So bottom line is, if this does take root, it would be good for them to "organize" [[this being Detroit, that's in quotes :-) or be "organized" - maybe by the Guardian Angels, maybe as deputy auxiliary police officers, by some kind of organization that drills these things into people repeatedly in, presumably, what has emerged over time as the consensus of the best way of doing these things. Rather than having them reinvent that wheel, and learn from their own mistakes.

Does that make sense? I think it's fantastic that they're doing this, and I hope they keep it up, but I would like to see them given some kind of status that brings with it certain other qualities, over the long-term.

But to tie up that loose end, kudos to them, they're awe-inspiring!

**Fnemecek** · August-19-10, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by MizMotown

We are in a society that has made people lazy and fearful to take a stand against most things that are not right. One of these days there will be no other choice. There has got to be a better way. Just holding that in mind created as Albert Einstein said, "....endless possibilities."

"To each their own" :-)

It is better to believe than to disbelieve;
in so doing, you bring everything
to the realm of possibility.

~ Albert Einstein ~

“Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them." Albert Einstein

Well, if we're dropping Einstein quotes, try this one.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
- Albert Einstein

The problem with civilian patrols is that they are done with civilians. Those individuals, as well meaning as they may be, lack the training, equipment, and legal authority of a police officer. As a result, when these things are organized, they invariably fall apart unless there is a sufficient number of police officers to back them up.

Civilians can act as the eyes and ears of a police department. However, trained police officers are always needed. With DPD staffing the way it is, that never happens.

But, hey, we can always try this game one more time.

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
- George Santayana

**kryptonite** · August-19-10, 12:07 PM

How many neighborhood watches, etc. have organized over the years and basically the situation has never improved. When I lived in Detroit, I volunteered for neighborhood watch patrols, and various other civic improvement efforts. But little of it seems to have accomplished anything.

I don't have much hope for Detroit improving by means of grass roots organizations. They are staffed by volunteers and almost unanimously fade away. I give groups like Motor City Blight Busters, etc. a lot of credit for doing something right, however is life in Detroit better?

Crime needs to be approached by a get-tough methodology. My bet is that if this guy is caught he will probably have an extensive criminal history. There are hundreds like him in Detroit and suburbs that have gotten early release from prison or received minimal sentences. So after a bit of time in the slammer they are back out on the streets doing what they will always do, committing crime.

Detroit crime has declined since the Three Strikes days of the Clinton administration. Plus the population decline has impacted crime statistics. But until the state and courts deal with the cycle of conviction/slap-on-the-wrist/early release crime is going to continue to plague Detroiters. I sympathize with them entirely, I left Detroit after an armed robbery and years of living like a prisoner in my own home.

**MizMotown** · August-19-10, 12:07 PM

I love that Einstein quote. Very true. Like that story where you keep walking down the street with the hole and keep falling in the hole and than finally oneday choose to take another street.

Don't have the answers. But yes it would take memento to have something like this take hold. Maybe oneday the National Guard will have no choice but to step up. The bottom line is I don't see the crime just magically stopping while we all sit back and say "nothing can be done." It's gonna get worse UNTIL it's so bad that some bigger force has to step in. That may or may not necessarily be a good thing depending on who it's affecting. There are smaller solutions to this problem that can be done but are not because of "lack of MONEY." So, if everything evolves around "lack of money" your right, it's all pretty much useless. But again, you never know.... the good always seems to prevail somehow.

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

Well, if we're dropping Einstein quotes, try this one.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
- Albert Einstein

The problem with civilian patrols is that they are done with civilians. Those individuals, as well meaning as they may be, lack the training, equipment, and legal authority of a police officer. As a result, when these things are organized, they invariably fall apart unless there is a sufficient number of police officers to back them up.

Civilians can act as the eyes and ears of a police department. However, trained police officers are always needed. With DPD staffing the way it is, that never happens.

But, hey, we can always try this game one more time.

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
- George Santayana

**DetroitScooter** · August-19-10, 01:35 PM

I'm all for neighborhood patrols/neighborhood watch, but as a commuter downtown every weekday, I'd say a good place to start would be to stop your car at red lights and stop signs and also to use your turn signals to signal a turn. If you are walking, try to cross at the light, or if you can't, hustle your body across the street as to not cause cars to either stop dead in the middle of a block or dart about wildly trying to avoid you.

The old adage about sweeping your own doorstep every day might be a good starting point too.

**kryptonite** · August-19-10, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitScooter

I'm all for neighborhood patrols/neighborhood watch, but as a commuter downtown every weekday, I'd say a good place to start would be to stop your car at red lights and stop signs and also to use your turn signals to signal a turn. If you are walking, try to cross at the light, or if you can't, hustle your body across the street as to not cause cars to either stop dead in the middle of a block or dart about wildly trying to avoid you.

Absolutely ! I scared some dumb*ss kid half to death once, him and a bud walked right across a major street in front of me, so I decided rather than stop I would cross over to the left lane and just call his bluff. I scared the hell out of him.

Last winter some jackass on Woodward downtown was just standing at a light. I thought 'watch this guy cross Woodward as soon as the light turns green'. Sure enough, he started walking when I had the green light, so I laid on the horn and same with a few other cars that were pissed at him. So he holds up a bible and crosses, what a dumb sh*t.

**kathy2trips** · August-19-10, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitScooter

The old adage about sweeping your own doorstep every day might be a good starting point too.

Yeah, you GO, Detroit! Proud of ya!

**Jimaz** · August-19-10, 03:38 PM

From today's Detnews: Attacks on elderly rile Detroit

During Tuesday's citizen patrol, group members reportedly grew angry when they confronted a man they'd heard committed home invasions and questioned him about the sexual assault. Police, who went along with the patrol, took the man into custody, although Interim Police Chief Ralph Godbee said the man is not considered a suspect in the rape.

Witnesses said the group chased another man, who escaped by climbing a fence. A third man also was questioned by members of the group before police told the crowd to disperse.

There was a scuffle during one of the confrontations, as officers tried to take one of the men in for questioning, Godbee said.

"Criminals don't give up easily," Godbee said. "There's a lot of righteous indignation over this, with both police and citizens. We're not robots; we're part of the community, too."

**fryar** · August-19-10, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

The problem with civilian patrols is that they are done with civilians. Those individuals, as well meaning as they may be, lack the training, equipment, and legal authority of a police officer.

That's why we need to make them auxiliaries.

**Fnemecek** · August-21-10, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by fryar

That's why we need to make them auxiliaries.

No, that's why we need to improve staffing for DPD.

There are somethings that can be done effectively by civilians. Police and fire protection isn't one of them. The training and manpower requirements are simply too high to be done on a volunteer basis.