Raleigh

Community-focused posts

There are 775 posts filed in Raleigh (this is page 48 of 78).

This tough cop knows how to reach tough kids

After I wondered where the good guys are who might have steered Reggie Gemeille to the right path, I read about James Johnson. Thank goodness there are men out there like him:

Retired police officer James Johnson spent 20 years dealing with gangs in New York City and is now sharing his wisdom with Raleigh children at the J.T. Locke Resource Center’s summer camp.

Johnson uses the same speeches he gave to members of New York’s Crips and Bloods gangs, urging youths ages 9 to 17 to cultivate their talents to better society and to value themselves over fitting in.

The talks have proven successful; Johnson says the youth program he participated in helped reduce gang violence 62 percent in New York City.

“Every child is reachable,” Johnson said. “Children’s strength is in their motivation for life.”

via This tough cop knows how to reach tough kids – Local/State – NewsObserver.com.

N.C. Wanted interview

N.C. Wanted

Thursday, I was interviewed by the WRAL show, N.C. Wanted. I’d gotten the referral from the Raleigh Police Department when N.C. Wanted called them seeking to speak with people involved with community watches. I told the producer that I’d be at a morning meeting with neighborhood stakeholders and they were welcome to tag along. They thought it was a great idea.

I arrived at the meeting and met the N.C. Wanted crew: Bill, Bridget, and Jay. They miked me and our Community Officer, James Kryskowiak, and filmed most of the meeting. Then I excused myself and went with them to areas around the East CAC to talk about the successes we’ve had in cleaning up the crime problems. I took them to the area where I witnessed a suspect leaving a breaking and entering, showed them the local shopping center that is far safer than it was just a year ago, and talked about the troubled apartment complex that has really cleaned up its act. Bill apparently is a retired police officer and could attest that the neighborhood was markedly different when he was on duty.

Unlike the other interviews that I’ve done that covered breaking news, this interview isn’t time-sensitive. Thus, there’s no telling when it will actually air. I hope I don’t seem like too much of an idiot when it airs!

Could Raleigh’s greenway paths be fiber paths?

Capital Area Greenway

I was thinking again (I know, I know. I should stop that bad habit) about Raleigh and the potential for a municipal Internet network (or a Google one). It occurred to me that the miles and miles of greenways Raleigh enjoys would make the perfect place to run a fiber backbone across our city. We’ve got greenways stretching into every corner of our city and more are being built and stitched-together every year. Why not make burying conduit part of every greenway construction project going forward?
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Bonner Gaylord: genius app developer?

The City of Raleigh sent out this breathless press release this week touting a new mobile application called SeeClickFix. People can use the service to report things around the city that need attention, such as a traffic light that needs replacing, graffiti that needs to be removed, etc. It’s a very useful service: one that I plan to use on a regular basis.

The only issue is the press release itself. It reads as if Bonner developed the whole thing himself:
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My photo of Raleigh seen again in the wild

My public domain picture of Raleigh I uploaded to Wikipedia continues to make the rounds. Flipping through the newspaper this morning, I spotted a small ad on page 2B of the Triangle section. The ad, placed by the City of Raleigh Recycling, featured the picture in the header, with a “swoosh” ribbon thing coming out of it. There’s no doubt that it’s my picture as the cars line up perfectly.

Some photographers get upset when their work gets used without their permission. I suppose there might be a time in the future when I work professionally as a photog. Even then, though, there will be shots I take that I’ll be happy to pass around, either because it’s the right thing to do or because it’s a great way to advertise my skills.

Graffiti delete-y?

Since my blog posting about the Beltline graffiti attracted so much attention, I thought it only right that I publicly thank the N.C. DOT for being on the case. I sent this email to them this past Thursday:

From: Mark Turner
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 2:56 PM
To: Jones, Brandon H
Cc: Jernigan, Hannah; Halsey, Steven M; Holmes, Jason M; Elmore, Thomas R; Bowman, John W; Hopkins, Joey
Subject: Re: Graffiti

Mr. Jones,

I see that graffiti around the I-440 Beltline is being painted over. Thanks to you and the NCDOT for your prompt service in addressing this. Already it has made a huge difference in Raleigh’s appearance. I do appreciate it!

Regards,

Mark Turner

This drew this prompt response from Mr. Brandon Jones:
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My LTE ran today

The N&O ran my letter to the editor today.

I don’t understand why some people (including certain reporters) don’t like Meeker. While there are lots of things I wish he would do differently, I think Meeker is an honest, hardworking mayor who cares about the city. Unlike many politicians, he doesn’t appear to be in it for ego or to treat it as a stepping stone to higher office. I think some people forget what a thankless job being mayor is; that it’s essentially an unpaid job. We’re lucky that people still choose to do it.

That being said, I see nothing wrong with disagreeing with a politician’s choices or decisions. In fast, that’s healthy. But I do not agree with hating someone personally for the decisions they make.

There are a lot of misguided political leaders out there and many have raised my hackles. Even so, I like knowing I could sit down with them and calmly discuss our differences without it becoming personal.

Wade and Oberlin smells like cat urine

Ok, I know I’m not imagining it. For the past few days when I’ve driven past the intersection of Wade Avenue and Oberlin Road, I’ve been confronted by the smell of … cat urine!? As a long-time cat owner it’s a smell I’m all too familiar with. The first few times I drove by I chalked it up to imagination but this morning I decided it must really be what I smell.

The Care First Animal Hospital at that intersection is the vet where I took my cat for years. The sewer line from the vet must be full of pet urine. Could that be what I’m smelling?