Our next meeting will be on March 11, at 7:30 p.m. at P.S. 14 on Hollywood Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard.We will have several give-aways that will remind us that spring is coming.Take your mind off of the snowy winter and have some fun with us!
This will be a very important and informative meeting.With the coming of spring comes graffiti and we want to stop it before it starts!Senator Klein will be our guest speaker as well as Rene Aponte and Barbara Robles-Gonzales from the Bronx D.A.’s office.Together they will explain how our community can keep graffiti under control.
As you probably know by now, WLCA has been working with Senator Klein on a new and very effective way to curb graffiti in our community.WLCA has several great clean-up programs and a graffiti patrol.Senator Klein has an extensive graffiti clean-up program that now even cleans graffiti from second floor locations. The 45th Precinct is vigilant and many graffiti criminals have been apprehended. Still we are not winning the war against graffiti.
So, we must become even more creative and determined.That is why we are working with Senator Klein on a new program—the Court Watcher Program.We are doing everything we can to clean up our streets.The 45th Precinct is doing a great job apprehending graffiti criminals.The problem is that when these criminals get to court they are given a slap on the wrist and at best a day or two of community service.Very often the community service is not even related to graffiti!Obviously this is not working because we often see the same criminals back on the street again defacing our properties.
This is unacceptable.The sentiment of the judges is that graffiti is not really a crime.I can assure you that not only is graffiti a crime, it is a serious crime that leads to more serious crimes.The Broken Windows Theory has proven that communities with graffiti will get more graffiti and then more serious crimes will occur if it is not cleaned up immediately.If a community looks as though no one cares, then no one will respect that community.
Our community cares.This is why we are involved in the Court Watcher Program.We want to go to court when a graffiti criminal is on trial and let the judge know that graffiti hurts our community. We want strict sentencing to send a clear message that graffiti will not be tolerated in our neighborhood!
We need you to get involved.We will give you a tee shirt that will let the judge know that our community wants to be graffiti free.All you have to do is wear the shirt and come to court when a graffiti criminal is being sentenced.When the judge sees our group walk into court the message will be clear.
Come to our March meeting and learn what you can do to defeat graffiti in our community.
Free Trees
WLCA has partnered with MillionTreesNYC and New York Restoration Project to bring free trees into our community. The program was originally conceived by Mayor Bloomberg and New Your Restoration Project founder, Bette Midler.It is currently regarded as the nation’s largest and most successful urban forestry initiative.The MillionTreesNYC initiative is responsible for overseeing the planting of 305,000 trees to date.Most of these trees were street trees or large plantings on the grounds of hospitals, universities, cemeteries and City Housing landscapes.
Now, with the generous support of David Rockefeller and Bloomberg Philanthropies,MillionTreesNYC will provide free trees for local residents, business owners and faith based centers.This free tree giveaway is a unique opportunity.Usually, free trees are given only for city owned property.If you want a free tree, please call me at (718) 792-6385.
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