Meetings

I had a choice of 2 meetings to attend tonight. Our underfunded public transit company needs volunteers to ride the fixed routes and do counts of how many people get on and get off each stop. Yes, I know that that should be a paid job (and I think has been such in times past, with "temps"). There was to be a meeting at Central Station at 6 this evening for anyone interested in being such a volunteer. I had both called and e-mailed about it and was going to do it a few days.

But neighbor Anthony wanted us to go the the Neighborhood Association meeting, which was also tonight. I went to a few of those back when I could still drive, and Anthony went to the ones in the neighborhood where he used to live (the airport expansion got his house 2 years ago). Considering that there are some problems on the street where we live regarding noise, too many cars blocking the street and driveways, and some vandalism, that meeting was more important.

An officer from the East Precinct was there and was the first speaker. He mentioned a burglary a block from Anthony and me, and told of some young men who are in gangs. He said that he'd recently caught some of these, with the youngest being 14 and the oldest being 19 - and that one of the younger ones "talked" but when he caught another one on the kid's 18th birthday, this older one lied. He said it felt good to be able to take the older one as an adult now, because now he's off the streets for awhile.

No one from the fire station was there, but the policeman said there was only one fire in our neighborhood since the meeting a month ago.

Someone from the nearest library mentioned some events there, and someone from the mayor's office was there.

I think everyone spoke up with various issues: flooding in houses and yards because of a pipe (owned by the city) corroding, weeds and tall grass, garbage men not putting the cans back in the yards but throwing them in the street, trespassing, a new school going up with both a bar and a liquor store within 200 or 300 feet of the new school (the bar and store have been there for years) ...

The meeting started at 7 and lasted a little over an hour.

Speaking of the buses: I get off work at 4:30. Yesterday the driver didn't get me until 5:25, and I didn't get home until 7:45. I'd love to be able to quit my job - because of the bus situation.

And speaking of the mayor and city council: a few weeks, some man went to the council meeting, gave them a song and dance about his going to have a motorcycle rally which would bring in a lot of money to the city, but he needed $25,000. Without doing any investigating, the council gave the man the money! Then the promoter moved the rally to the next county, almost no one showed up, the man himself was at the rally only a couple of hours, had cashed the check and, according to the newspaper - turns out that he was a convicted felon. The council does not know where he - or that $25,000 - is.

So much for our mayor and city council. Look where greed got them. The bus company and other businesses sure could have used that $25,000. By the way, I didn't vote for these people.

(I am listing this as "family" because that's what we as neighbors should be.)