Happy September Neighbors,
Hopefully everyone has been able to handle the intense weather we’ve had over the past month: flash floods, high winds, power outages, fallen trees, and heat waves! UGH! It’s humbling to be reminded how small we are next to the forces of nature. I’m praying for some calmer weather in the upcoming months!
NANA has renewed our effort to keep our website calendar, as well as our Facebook calendar, up-to-date with events that NANA, the City, and surrounding communities are organizing. They’re worth following if you want to keep up with neighborhood and city-related events.
We could still use more volunteers for our Social Committee. Help North Avondale build a stronger community through social connections! Contact our Social Chair, Christina, to see how you can get involved.
I’m very interested in hearing Council Member Anna Albi’s thoughts on gun policy this coming Tuesday during our General Body meeting. Ever since I heard the shots and sounds of Mr. Philip Bates being murdered outside the Belvedere in 2006, I’ve paid close attention to the persistent problem of violence in and around our neighborhood.
More recent examples include Belvedere resident James Bond, who was murdered on a Metro bus in May; the July shooting of a Spectrum worker on North Fred Shuttlesworth, (where there is still a $25,000 reward for information); and an August shooting that injured four people across the street from the Clinton Hills Swim Club.
There has been a lot of recent concern about Flock cameras and other surveillance technology. Those concerns deserve to be taken seriously. At the same time, I tend to think the pendulum has swung a little too far away from collective security to over-prioritizing privacy.
I believe we need to be able to have a serious conversation about both: protecting people’s privacy while also giving law enforcement effective tools to prevent and solve violent crime.
Speaking of which- here’s another plug for Connect Cincinnati. CPD sees this as an important tool for helping officers and investigators respond to and solve crimes. If you have a security camera, it’s quick and easy to sign up.
Join the conversation and share your thoughts at our monthly General Body Meeting on Tuesday, September 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the NA Rec Center. See you there!
Stay cool & take care of each other,
-Reg