The Police and Community - Trellis Youth Report: Dec 2019
As we continue to work with our Trellis Crew, one of the goals is to have them attend, listen in on and even participate in discussion at different precinct meetings around the community. This allows the students to hear the different ways people interact with officers, the ways laws are enforced and who shows up at these meetings.
Recently two of our crew where at two different precinct meetings and shared what they heard and learned.
“The meeting included a talk about safety on the street and the use of substances and how the free needles program can affect substance abuse and the usage of needles on the street. There was a lot of debate on the topic and I personally felt as if the police officers did not really give a decent amount of advice on how to solve the issues and or what people themselves can do to avoid the issue from happening in there neighborhood or put a stop to it. Although people in the audience made some very good points and brought up things we all need to look at for. The police officers try to answer as many questions to the best abilities but they weren’t really thorough and I honestly felt like that meeting ended poorly but for me it is something to surely learn from and watching others communicate is always interesting to me. We should’ve really gotten more into the war on drugs and cracking down on some of these thing there should’ve been more General public speakers they’re like someone to represent the present and not just to fellow officers but I understand what their purpose was to serve there. It was to answer the question regarding public street safety And how we can protect ourselves and children from this crisis with a modern day solution. To help everyone in the long term for the better. Although some neighborhoods are better off than others it is a priority to make sure as the city and as a borough that we keep each other safe.”
“The 84th Precinct N.C.O Meeting was held in Downtown Brooklyn, and it began with a progress report relayed by two police officers followed by a conversation on why some crimes have taken place.
As strange as it might seem, some people choose not to lock their doors, evidently leading to a greater risk of burglary and perhaps even more violent crimes. Also, people’s descriptions of the perpetrator are, in many cases, rather vague; lackluster descriptions are unlikely to lead to an arrest, as made clear by the police officers. Thereafter, the police officers offered advice to the attendees on how to decrease the potential for crime, such as locking one’s doors, installing video surveillance cameras, being wary of one’s surroundings, and making sure belongings are properly protected.
Eventually, a few of the attendees offered their own advice as a means of diminishing fraud, then they began to voice their concerns regarding crime which led to a minor but humorous argument between them and the police officers that lasted about five minutes. Once the dust cleared, the meeting closed with a reminder to take the necessary precautions to remain safe. ”
“What I had learned from the community meeting held by the 84th precinct is that safety is very important in a community and that everyone deserves to feel safe. And that it is very important to say something if you see something suspicious, because every little bit counts.
People shouldn’t be afraid of speaking up to police officers about there safety because that’s what they’re there for, to help solve a person’s problems. There are alot of things that the police cannot take care of it handle, but they can give you info on how to solve your problem and where your able to go.
Safety is important for ourselves and our community. People shouldn’t be afraid to speak up and stand up for themselves and their community because everyone deserves a voice. Especially when it comes to their safety.”
“Why are guns a safety hazard to people? People get shot and killed over many things like gang activity or maybe even fighting. It’s worse when a child is around because they can get hurt too, or possibly someone old can get injured. Some people in our community get hurt over petty reasons. Around our neighborhood it’s sad enough to hear that police officers or strangers may be even people that we know have passed away.”
“This meeting was about how to give back to the community. The precinct was going to hold a coat and food drive for people who need. Although we did talk about a couple of issues in the community like stalking, apparently people watch and follow you to see when your gonna be home or not and they can tag you. I also heard about something similar to this but with sex trafficking. My question is who are these people and how do they have the time for this? But on another note the precinct was nice the lady didn’t seem as intimidating as I thought, she gave the police officers the time to introduce themselves and the neighborhoods that they partaken and how and what they do to give back to the community. There was also some people there working with the Brooklyn DA and they spoke in terms of where their located and what there doing to help the community. But the meeting was somewhat short but nice and I see that there doing a lot to give to the community and surrounding areas. The Chief also said that she has offices out in different branches and I think that way of working is nice to have your best officer spread out, you get more done”
“The more straightforward 76th Precinct Meeting began with a progress report relayed by one of several police officers present. As expected, people voiced their concerns regarding crime in their neighborhood, and a few pieces of advice was given on how to stop perpetrators in their tracks. This advice included using a shredder to destroy old documents and being aware of where you are and who you are with. After information was given about special events coming up during the upcoming 2019 holiday season, the meeting ended.”