Citizen Crime Watch Blog

Jarvis DeBerry’s column in the Sunday Times-Picayune left me with the same sickening reaction as I had to the heckling Jordan supporters at last week’s Criminal Justice Committee hearing.

Here’s my letter to the editor:

Even more disturbing than D.A. Eddie Jordan’s incompetence, and his petulance at answering basic questions asked by Council Members, are the accusations that those who criticize Jordan are racists (Jarvis DeBerry, 7/22/07).

I wish DeBerry would pay more attention to *what* Shelley Midura was saying, not *how* she said it.

The comparison to Nifong had to do with how Jordan jeopardized the administration of justice by publicly disparaging his witness as untruthful.

As for the deplorable remark about Midura’s State Department career, she was employed there for ten years. She probably has a fair libel suit against DeBerry for saying she couldn’t keep her job.

What would have been DeBerry’s reaction to Midura if, instead of expressing her outrage that five black teenagers mercilessly executed might not obtain justice, she said nothing. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Violence diminishes all of us as human beings, as does the hateful prejudice displayed by DeBerry against a white woman who, despite her race, simply cares.

When people are vilified for caring, New Orleans will return to being the city that care forgot.

(HT: Moldy City for identifying Midura’s State Department career background — it’s right on her Web site. Did DeBerry do any research at all before launching his personal attack? That’s why I say he’s opened himself up to a pretty good defamation suit.)

The Times-Picayune printed a Brendan McCarthy article last week which highlighted a single crime mapping initiative, NO Crime, to the exclusion of any others. The discriminating reader ought to question why the article mentioned the project founder’s name 16 times without ever once making reference to other initiatives which are already accomplishing what the NO Crime founder only proposes to do if enough people respond to her appeals for donations.

McCarthy said in a phone conversation that he was well aware of other citizen-based crime mapping initiatives around New Orleans, including Citizen Crime Watch, but said that he decided to focus exclusively on NO Crime’s founder because she’s getting the most attention. Self-promotion does have its rewards, but I suspect that citizens care more about seeing visible results.

No, McCarthy didn’t think it incongruous to highlight an initiative which has yet to produce a single crime map or crime report, while ignoring other broad-based citizen initiatives in which volunteers who are active in their neighborhood organizations are already mapping crime. The only thing those volunteers need to make those mapping services a truly meaningful resource, which would provide citizens with a daily snapshot of emerging safety concerns in their neighborhoods, is access to timely data from the NOPD. It might have been nice to give developers who have already made crime maps available to the community an opportunity to make that case for data in the pages of the newspaper. McCarthy said he would profile some other initiatives in a future article.

The Times-Picayune published the following letter in the Sunday paper:

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Re: “Activist seeking to track crimes,” Metro, March 21.

Thank you for highlighting one of the fundamental, indispensable tools necessary for keeping citizens safe from crime: information.

There are a number of citizens in New Orleans who didn’t wait for donations to roll in, but just rolled up their sleeves and volunteered their time to make Web-based crime mapping and reporting a reality.

All that’s lacking now to make these services truly meaningful is open access to crime information, supplied in an expeditious manner, so that citizens know as soon as possible the emerging safety concerns in their neighborhoods.

Better-informed citizens aren’t just safer. They are the extra eyes and ears of a beleaguered and depleted police force.

Brian Denzer
New Orleans

This is the original version of the letter:

Letter to the Times-Picayune, 3/22/07:

Thank you for highlighting one of the fundamental, indipensable tools necessary for keeping citizens safe from crime: information (”Activist seeking to track crimes,” 3/21/07).

There are a number of citizens throughout New Orleans who didn’t wait for donations to roll in, but who just rolled up their sleeves, and volunteered their time to make web-based crime mapping and reporting services a reality.

All that’s lacking now to make these services truly meaningful is open access to crime information, supplied in an expeditious manner, so that citizens know as soon as possible the emerging safety concerns in their neighborhoods. Better informed citizens aren’t just safer, they are the extra eyes and ears of a beleaguered and depleted police force.

I look forward to a future article which celebrates the tireless efforts of these true “activists” because they, too, just might have something to say that’s worth reporting.

Cordially,
Brian Denzer
citizencrimewatch.org

Calendar Announcement
March 21, 2007

Neighborhoods Under Fire: Cox Communications New Orleans Hosts Televised Crime Forum

What:
Neighborhoods Under Fire
A 90-minute forum, presented and produced by Cox Communications New Orleans, to provide an opportunity for discussion on how the Greater New Orleans community can find solutions to the area’s crime problem.

When:
Wednesday, March 28
6:30 – 8 p.m.

Where:
Cox Communications Studios
338 Edwards Avenue, Harahan

Neighborhood Under Fire will be televised live on Cox 10, simulcast on The BIG 870 WWL and streamed live on the Internet at www.Cox.com.

Who:
Representatives from the Greater New Orleans area neighborhood associations and decision makers inclusive of law enforcement, criminal justice, elected officials and crime experts including (all confirmed except where noted):

Superintendent Warren J. Riley, New Orleans Police Department
District Attorney Eddie Jordan, Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office
Sheriff Harry Lee, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office
Councilmember Shelly Midura, New Orleans City Council
Mayor C. Ray Nagin, City of New Orleans (invited)
Executive Director Dr. Peter Scharf, Center for Society, Law and Justice at The University of New Orleans and expert criminologist
Special Agent in Charge James Bernazzani, New Orleans FBI Office
Michael Perlstein, Visiting Assistant Professor at Loyola University New Orleans’ School of Mass Communication
Representatives of The Vera Institute of Justice (invited)
Moderator Garland Robinette of The BIG 870 WWL

Audience will consist of representatives/members from CrimeStoppers, Greater New Orleans area neighborhood groups and associations, social service agencies, Head Start, Boys & Girls Club of New Orleans and Silence is Violence.

Details:
Viewing audience/citizens can ask questions by calling into show at (504) 304-2225 or emailing questions to NeighborhoodsUnderFire@Cox.com.

# # #

Contacts:
Jeffrey Ory, ABC, APR; Deveney Communication; (504) 939-3999; JDory@Deveney.com
Daneen Storc; Cox Communications New Orleans; (504) 301-3511; Daneen.Storc@Cox.com