Violent Crime in Kingston NY Births New Neighborhood Watch Program

Feb. 22, 2010 - PRLog -- Neighborhood Watch Signs Not Helping Kingston New York Homes & Safety, if No One is Watching

Kingston, NY- Less than 25 feet from a Neighborhood Watch Sign, a local Kingston woman was violently mugged for twenty dollars and no one saw anything. Her sobs, as she returned to her house next door, and the arrival of emergency responders caused more than a sleepless Friday night for Wall Street homeowner Michael D'Arcy; the sun rose and with it was a man on a mission.

No Sign of an Active Neighborhood Watch Program in Kingston New York

Google searches return nothing online regarding an active Neighborhood Watch Program in D'Arcy's own uptown Kingston neighborhood nor in  the whole city of Kingston.  There was not any program or organization registered with the national Neighborhood watch program, USAonWatch.org, either.  With his children's safety and the need for crime reduction heavy on his mind, D'Arcy set out to change that.

Within 48 Hours, Interest in the Kingston's Neighborhood Watch is Rekindled

Other concerned Kingston neighbors were called, flyers were made and a plan was hatched.  The small Kingston neighborhood blog was rebranded and the new domain name, www.Kingston-NY-Neighborhood-Watch.com, was purchased.  Using the available local networks now available through social media and under the direction of his wife, the Director of Social Media at DragonSearch, the local internet marketing firm,  a Facebook page and Twitter account were created and spoke of the need for community organization and crime reduction.

"Enough! I can't live like this worrying about my children walking to school, my wife walking past that corner to work, or my friends and neighbors getting hurt." says D'Arcy. "It's not political, it's not about curbing your dog, it's not about people liking me; I just want to keep our neighborhood safe. That's my only goal and all I care about."

D'Arcy, a Real Estate Agent with Win Morrison, isn't letting his lack of experience get in his way. Based on Kingston Community response, bringing back the Neighborhood Watch Program with a vengeance is an idea welcomed by many. Canvassing both uptown homes and business, still sleepless and armed with the flyer depicting the victims bruised and battered face, he has had conversations with neighbors, landlords, police and the local Kingston Public Safety Common Council; all who are very supportive.

Now registered with the national Neighborhood Watch Organization and waiting their informational packet, the first official meeting is planned for sometime in mid March. Still forming and seeking more support and interest, many ideas and plans have been made.

Proposed ideas for the Kingston Neighborhood Watch program include:
•Neighborhood Block Captains: Designating area coordinators who can reach out and mobilize every area of the city.
•Kingston Town Cryers: Door sticker, hats and T-shirts to let the criminal elements know that they are being seen and reported on.
•"Bells & Whistles": Between donations and fund raising, arming anyone who feels vulnerable with a whistle and every concerned household with bells.  Community awareness would education neighbors to respond to whistle calls for help when there is trouble and to come outside their front doors to ring their bells when there is something going on.
•Safety Patrols and Escorts: Planned group walks on the Kingston City streets to show the pure numbers of concerned citizens and volunteers to ensure that no one gets hurt again as they exercise their right to peacefully walk home.

The More Eyes Watching, The Safer We All Are

"Imagine there is a drug deal happening on your street. If one person sees it and begins to ring their big old school bell, and then their neighbors all come out of their houses and ring their bells; who needs an alarm system? That drug dealer will not be choosing that street to conduct their business on again when they can plainly see everyone is watching them."

Other ideas have already come to fruition such as a map that allows Kingston Residents to report an unsafe condition or a problem area. SeeClickFix already has a web based service created exactly for that need, the Kingston Neighborhood Watch group simply added the Kingston customized widget  to the website and is promoting that as a means of communication.

Help Still Needed to Keep Kingston Neighborhoods Safe
No ideas, volunteers, or donations will be turned down.  As internal organization continues, anyone interested in following the formation or in helping on a greater level are urged to watch the website, join the Facebook group, follow them on Twitter , get in touch by email or just call D'Arcy.

"We'll be looking for people to come to meetings. To organize  in their neighborhoods, to walk the streets. We'll need printing, and T-shirts and someone with a cheap whistle & bell  connection! For now, just help talk about it and spread the word.  All I want is to see  a room full of thousands of neighbors at the first meeting and to make the city safe"

For more information  about the Kingston Neighborhood Watch Program and the date of the first meeting; check the website at http://www.kingston-ny-neighborhood-watch.com.

They can also be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/KingstonNeighborhoodWatch
or follow the Twitter account for updates at http://twitter.com/KingstonNYWatch

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Kingston NY Neighborhood Watch; grassroots local community activism providing safety & crime prevention on our city streets. A group of good people banding together to keep bad things from happening.
The more eyes watching, the safer we all are.