A public park situated in a high crime urban setting requires common sense protection. A public park situated in the district with the highest number of rapes last year demands it. A posted sign that says that the park closes at dark is recklessly insufficient.Last night I updated the post on my telephone exchange with Mr. Fyke with the following contact information should any reader choose to express their concern as well:
If the park is accessible, the park is open. I wonder how many rapes need to occur in the Bicentennial Mall before Mr. Fyke feels they warrant his response?
Jim Fyke (Parks Commissioner)--(615) 532-0109
State Senator Thelma Harper--(615) 741-2453
State Representative Mary Pruitt--(615) 741-3853
State Senator Thelma Harper--(615) 741-2453
State Representative Mary Pruitt--(615) 741-3853
Holy Cannoli!
ReplyDeleteI just got off the phone with Murray Crow at Commissioner Fyke's office. He was calling me back to follow up on my earlier call. He says:
- Crime will happen anywhere.
- The Commission lacks the resource to patrol that park
He also asked me if I would be so concerned about it if the rape had happened in Centennial Park, farther away from where I live. When I told him that I didn't think there should be any place in Nashville in which a woman should be raped for two hours without someone noticing, he asked if I had "read that in the papers" or if I had actually read the crime report. I asked him if there was something in particular I should look for in the police report that would make me feel better about this and he said that, no, but that he wanted to point out that I didn't have the whole story if all I knew was what I read online. I asked him if there was some smaller amount of time that it would be ok for someone to be violently attacked without anyone noticing?
Singularly infuriating. I told him that, while I was happy that the Commission was taking the time to make these courtesy calls, so long as their response was to point fingers and blame other agencies, they weren't really doing much good.
The Commission, in my opinion, is intent on ignoring this.
AAAAARRGHGHGHGHG!!!