Kudos to the Wichita chapter of the NAACP for taking action to enhance core neighborhoods and public safety with its “Broken Windows” campaign, which works with area businesses to improve the image of central and northeast Wichita.
The campaign’s current focus is a store that sells real-looking replica weapons and drug paraphernalia. NAACP officials have asked the store owner to remove the items — or face a possible consumer boycott.
The program is another reminder that residents in crime- and blight-plagued areas don’t have to put up with declining standards — they can take the initiative to improve their neighborhood’s quality of life.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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13 Comments
That’s good!
I gotta admit, this was a pleasant story to read…nice to see the NAACP is actually doing something positive, rather than finding blame, yelling racism and screaming about profiling. Getting out and DOING something is good to see.
Let’s hope they keep it up..it can only benefit everyone, with absolutely no regard to race..what a nice change!
And the people that buy replica weapons and drug paraphernalia are going to boycott the “replica weapons and drug paraphernalia” store? What am I missing here? Another “much ado about nothing’ NAACP publicity stunt to get some newsprint for a failed organization. How about going after the consumers and finding out why the hell they are buying them in the first place, and discouraging that practice? Attacking the result won’t affect the underlying cause of the problem. Eradicate the cause, and the “business” won’t need to be boycotted … it won’t be there anymore!
Park a police cruiser in front of the store.
I can’t believe that Randy S. is actually commending the work of a private organization. There may be hope for him yet.
You make a valid point kansasman, the results are not yet obvious. That is largely because this is only the second business in this campaign and as yet, they have refused to make any changes. But rest assured, we will continue this effort business by business until those results are apparent. I think many community organizations (mine included) have suffered for too long from the “paralysis of analysis”. In that we’ve devoted entirely too much time to trying to figure out how to fix everything at once. While we’re musing and pontificating, nothing gets done, and it never changes because the question itself is unanswerable. It’s just like disease; we cant cure all diseases at once, we have to pick one and focus our efforts.
And to your point rm6046, we understand there are two primary elements that would be interested in a replica pistol. The first is a criminal element. Now certainly, if we had a magic pill that could eliminate criminal impulses, we’d make every effort to move it to the masses; but we don’t, and no one does… To suggest that a relatively small, all volunteer organization should concentrate its efforts on trying to eliminate all crime at the IMPULSE level is simply not realistic. The fact is that if the police department, the court system, the 500+ churches and the combined will of all good citizens can’t end crime, me and my merry band of volunteers will simply have to stipulate that criminal elements will exist in some form or number. However, through this effort we hope to limit their access to some of the tools of their trade.
Now, the second group that might interested in a replica weapon are young people. And I would hate to hear that a child in our community was killed by Police or others while playing with a toy that was indistiguishable from a real weapon. It would then be almost hypocritical for us to feign outrage over the incident, when we ignored the obvious possibility. We want to be proactive. We don’t want to wait until something terrible happens and then go out and cry and protest when we really should get up and say something now! And that is exactly what were doing…
And you know, an additional component to our “broken windows” campaign is to repair the “broken window” which is the image of our community organizations. It has become commonplace to disparage the efforts of community organzations and there hasn’t been any organized effort to address misconceptions. We want to deal with that as well. Through these blogs and other forums we want to move to a new level of community dialogue. We don’t just want you to read about an initiative, we want you to feel free to contact us and ask questions; or post them here and we will answer. I feel that I have been blessed these last few years to work with some of the most genuine and sincere folks in the world. We are all volunteers with families and full time jobs who do these things on our own time because we care. Many of us (myself included) don’t even live in that area, but I just don’t think anyone should have to have to contend with having a crack and crime supply store on their corner. And I can’t sit back and do nothing…
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you think about our particular organization (the Wichita NAACP); the bottom line is, I know that I owe it to my two children at home to truly be about the business of ‘Making’ a better community instead of just always ‘talking’ about one.
Kevin: Thank you, and your points are well made. However, I take strong issue with one thing. My elder grandson (7 y/o) has a plastic “toy” pistol. It was neither purchased nor condoned by me or his parents. Permanently attached to the “business end” of the barrel is a bright flourescent orange cap which could only be removed with a hacksaw. No police officer nor any one else with 2 brain cells to rub together couldmistake it for the “real thing”. I doubt the sort of replicas of which you speak even remotely resemble this. In any event, he lost interest in it quickly, to no one’s despair.
I commend your efforts. My position was, and is, nothing more than advice. And that advice is simply to attack the root cause, not the effect. Northeast Wichita is a disgrace, and has been for many years — you have a long and hard road ahead of you. My thoughts and prayers will be with you.
You know kansasman, I disagree… If anything I have blamed organizations such as my own for not being present or vocal on these types of quality of life issues. I will readily admit this has not been our focus. This campaign is new for us. And we’re not asking the City for anything or anyone else… We’re saying that instead of complaining, we’re going to act… If we had teh support of the whole city that would be wonderful, but even if we don’t we’ll still continue. And if you choose to remain a skeptic, I can respect that; In fact, it’s understandable. But we will still continue.
As to me being honest about my own views… well, I only ask that you consider, that this is likely the first time you’ve ever heard me personally espouse my views unfiltered. This is what it is… I have no desire or want to walk around and blame everyone else without looking critically inward. Unfortunetly, I have limited influence over what efforts we conduct are deemed ‘newsworthy’.
For instance, last year our organization hosted a 9-hour Academic Achievement Gap seminar directed at parents of African American Children. We paid for it all ourselves out of our own budget and pockets, with many items being placed on personal credit cards, just to ensure that it would be Free to all members of the community. We flew in Nationally recognized speakers worked with teachers from the district and brought in the NAACP National Education director. We presented reams of information about how parents could better assist their children and improve their educational outcomes…
*And I bet you never heard about it*Not because we didn’t want the story told, but because some of our local television media outlets decided that THAT effort wasn’t newsworthy. We were told that it didn’t “appeal to the larger community”. The big story THAT day that made the news from the Northeast was about a fight that took place at (I believe it was) Grove Park…
About 6 months ago, we held another smaller seminar at the New Jerusalem Baptist Church with more than 200 parents in attendance. It was also free with the costs being borne by Rev Wade, Pastor of New Jerusalem. Again; *I bet you never even heard about it.*
BUT if there’s a ‘Race’ issue, I have media outlets calling me at my job for a comment. You all see the comment (in the absence of anything else) and understandibly assume that we’re fixated on Race issues, when that’s simply not the case. And because we haven’t made an effort to address those misconceptions, once they’re repeated enough they become “truthy” :)
We drafted a bill to be introduced into the legislature this session that would strengthen the statutes governing wrongful terminations. It is a non-racial issue. But it is a substantial issue because it would change the State of Kansas’ “at-will” status… *And I bet you haven’t heard about it*
That’s not to blame the media for our ‘problems’ that’s simply to state that you really can’t know what we’re about judging only by what you see or hear on TV. I honestly believe that through efforts like this and continued dialogue, we will win over most of our skeptics. I hope that’s honest enough for you…
Sell leg.Not Arms.
I have lived in old NE Wichita for my almost my entire life, and those posters who think that NE Wichita is a disaster obviously haven’t visited recently. East 21st Str. west of Hillside is unrecognizable compared to the 70s and 80s. Have you seen the new homes being built by James Albertha’s POWER company? A huge area between 21st and 25th, and west of Grove, is going to be entirely reconstructed by the new Boys & Girls Club facility. Sure, there are places that still feature run-down properties, but the same is quite true in near SE Wichita, north Wichita, south Wichita and SW Wichita. I applaud the NAACP’s new program to help people improve their lives and their neighborhoods by getting involved.
This is a good thing.I wonder however if it was a religious organization asking the same what the reaction around here would be.(and that’s sarcasm – I KNOW what the reaction would be – roll of eyes).
I agree rm, let’s attack the source. Let’s stop those upper class and upper-middle class Americans from buying drugs that come from south of the border. Stop the demand, and you stop the supply butt-cold.
KIA,
You mean like Mennonite Housing?