I'm grateful that Kat started this forum--what a great idea! I'm dismayed that such a frightening crime took place, but I am not shocked. I realize now that I have been too careless about this residence--going out late at night to empty garbage, leaving my doors unlocked. Coming from Houston, I think of Chapel Hill as "safe," but that is foolish. And since I am from a big city, I think of crime as "normal," but that is complacent. I would like to use this opportunity to actively do my part to create a safe community where crime is not "business as usual."
Here are a few ideas:
1. Assigned parking--The point of this idea is so that we can more easily identify a car that is not a resident's.
2. Monthly meetings--these could be more like monthly parties (a grill-out, snacks at someone's place); the point is to get to know each other.
3. A contact list (hopefully this blog will become that); if we see a car with headlights on, we might call the owner and let her know; if someone who seems suspicious is hanging around someone's door, we could let the resident know... etc.
Does everyone know how to get in touch with Doug Brown? He is very professional and helpful when it comes to The Retreat. His email is douglasrpm1@earthlink.net.
Great ideas Evelyn! I will be printing out cards to place on mail boxes tomorrow with info about the blog and we will hopefully be able to get an email list together with the response we get from that. I have also emailed Doug and invited him to join the group as well. I think that the idea for a community meet and greet is a fantastic idea. Maybe based on the response we get from this we can shoot for a community drop in at the court yard during the first weekend in November. Maybe the assigned parking is something that we can run by Doug. I really think it would help in identifying cars and their owners who live here and their invited guests.
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