Last week, in the lobby of our apartment building, we were invited to a neighborhood meeting with the Chief of Police in San Francisco. The new facility was opened in April, just in our area of Mission Bay. The representatives of the City, including the chief of Police, wanted to greet the new neigbors in person.
At this point I will add that lately the police – and the prison system in San Francisco – has not been praised for its efficiency. In July, not far from our house, an illegal immigrant, released from prison in deliberate disregard of a Federal warrant, shot and killed a young woman walking in the evening by the pier with her father. The victim’s family asks now for the a new law named after the victim, Kate’s Law, requiring detaining illegal immigrants in jail awaiting trial.
We decided to take advantage of the invitation. We were welcomed with cookies and a plate of exotic fruits. But there were also gifts. It happened that Rose turned two months that day and for her gift she received her first rubber ducky 🙂
Th official part of the meeting followed. As soon as the police introduced themselves and their roles, the group of participants started to voice their discontent. From the start, it was not hard to see that they were justified. In order to warn passing pedestrians that a police car is rapidly exiting or entering the building, a loud alarm sounds. For the next door neighbors, this meant no sleep, as the police station is open all night. Dean joked that new system’s victims must feel like parents who have to wake up many times to a crying newborn. In fact, even we looked less sleepy..
As a result, the Chief had no choice but to agree to turn off the alarm and look for new technical solutions.
Before we left the meeting (Rose was ready for her evening bath), I listened to more complaints about Fourth of July fireworks. It turned out that the Chief of Police also has a dog and he knew how quadrupeds react to unexpected flashes and noises. There were also questions on monitoring our neighborhood.
Mission Bay is a fairly safe neighborhood, I do not see a lot of police officers around (unless in front of one of the famous cafes, where a good drip is served :). I do not know how long we are going to stay here, but I like the budding relationship between local residents and guardians of order. There are fewer degrees of separation between citizens and power in the USA.
I learned that such meetings are held periodically. I hope that such tragic events, such as the aforementioned Pier shooting will not repeat, and the presence of our new neighbors will make us able to sleep peacefully.
PS. I decided to change my blog host. The process is still in transistion. Please visit my new page Ciekawostki . At the bottom you can find a link to my Instagram profile.
