Here They Come: 10,000 3,000 Men Ready for Action
Evildoers beware! The initial batch of Call to Action town-watchers will be arriving in their first crime-riddled neighborhood in exactly three weeks.
Ever since the “10,000 Men Call to Action” event on October 21st, the organization has been following through with numerous orientation processes to get its community volunteer groups ready to “peacefully” attack the city’s horrific murder rate. According to Norm Bond, communications director for he CTA Movement, they’ve had close to 3,000 people volunteer for three-hour nightly shifts to be “eyes and ears” in unsafe neighborhoods.
Bond says the first deployment will target Southwest Philadelphia, with North Philadelphia next. The group is still working out some logistics, such as official CTA uniforms (jackets or armbands are still being debated), and finalizing the location of a neighborhood rec center that will serve as home base.
The big question mark, though, is what the men will actually be required to do. Bond says CTA is still “working all that out,” but he did offer that they’d be doing a lot of note-taking during their shifts and turning over their findings to the police.
One of the many obstacles the organization will have to deal with in the upcoming months are a new police commissioner and a new mayor. When asked how mayor-to-be Michael Nutter’s proposed “stop and frisk” style of policing might affect CTA’s plans, Bond wasn’t sure: “I don’t think it’ll negate it, but we’re both trying to do the same things. We’re both willing to work together.” (Read: Who knows?)
But barring any major setbacks, this kooky little plan to stop the violence is actually afoot.There are still major issues to be worked out over safety (”working on it with police”), communication (”working on it with police”) and general approach (”still feeling those things out”), but they’re plowing ahead regardless. So, gun-toting Southwest Philadelphians, you’ve been warned. If the Call to Action movement catches you, you might get written up in a notebook.
Call to Action [10,000 men]
PHOTO: Philly.com
Evildoers beware! The initial batch of Call to Action town-watchers will be arriving in their first crime-riddled neighborhood in exactly three weeks.
Ever since the “10,000 Men Call to Action” event on October 21st, the organization has been following through with numerous orientation processes to get its community volunteer groups ready to “peacefully” attack the city’s horrific murder rate. According to Norm Bond, communications director for he CTA Movement, they’ve had close to 3,000 people volunteer for three-hour nightly shifts to be “eyes and ears” in unsafe neighborhoods.
Bond says the first deployment will target Southwest Philadelphia, with North Philadelphia next. The group is still working out some logistics, such as official CTA uniforms (jackets or armbands are still being debated), and finalizing the location of a neighborhood rec center that will serve as home base.
The big question mark, though, is what the men will actually be required to do. Bond says CTA is still “working all that out,” but he did offer that they’d be doing a lot of note-taking during their shifts and turning over their findings to the police.
One of the many obstacles the organization will have to deal with in the upcoming months are a new police commissioner and a new mayor. When asked how mayor-to-be Michael Nutter’s proposed “stop and frisk” style of policing might affect CTA’s plans, Bond wasn’t sure: “I don’t think it’ll negate it, but we’re both trying to do the same things. We’re both willing to work together.” (Read: Who knows?)
But barring any major setbacks, this kooky little plan to stop the violence is actually afoot.There are still major issues to be worked out over safety (”working on it with police”), communication (”working on it with police”) and general approach (”still feeling those things out”), but they’re plowing ahead regardless. So, gun-toting Southwest Philadelphians, you’ve been warned. If the Call to Action movement catches you, you might get written up in a notebook.
Call to Action [10,000 men]
PHOTO: Philly.com
