Editor: From the agenda and minutes of the OB Crime Watch meeting held Monday, May 13th, we offer the following as a report of the meeting. As background, the OB Crime Watch formed in early October 2012 after a series of sexual assaults against women in Ocean Beach and reports of a peeping tom.
With about 20 people in attendance at the OB Woman’s Club, Mercy Baron opened the meeting with introductions. It was announced that a name change of the group was in the offering, that people thought “OB Citizens Watch” was a better title for the group.
Mercy also committed to inviting SDPD Community Relations officer David Surwilo and Lt. Natalie Stone to the next meeting of the group. Meetings of the group will be held the 2nd Monday of every month at the Woman’s Club. The next one will be June 10th.
The group will have 5 committees, and they are the Citizens Patrol, Clean Streets Initiative, Outreach, Fundraising, and Legal. The committees are asked to meet once a month, outside the regular all-group monthly meetings.
OB Citizens Patrol – Tim Nolan, owner of Tower Two is the chair, but he was not present, so Mercy – who has been involved with that patrol – covered its introduction.
Clean Streets Initiative – OB: Greg is its chair, and its goals are to reduce tagging and littering, to pressure city to write citation for littering and vandalism, to report tagging. The sub-group is holding a Paint out Party on June 12 with time TBD. There is a SDPD program that will pay $500 reward for arrest of taggers.
Outreach – Mercy will head this up, with its goals: getting the word out, informs locals, police, business owners of crime issues.
Fundraising – Needs chair; goals: raise funds to cover OBCW expenses; money spent must be approved by at least 3 committee chairs.
Legal – Needs chair; goals: investigate non-profit status, advise on projects, put pressure on city to enforce.
In other discussions or presentations, Julie Klein of the OB Mainstreet Association suggested that the group partner with “Respect OB”. In addition, a few attendees were concerned about donating food to the Loaves and Fishes OBWC program.
There was some music and a PowerPoint presentation that followed.
How can you help? Volunteer, sign up for committees, donate money, gift cards from local business’s, supplies, etc, report all crimes and suspicious activities to SDPD.
** Police non-emergency phone number: 619-531-2000
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* OBCW Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of every month at the OB Woman’s Club, located at 2160 Bacon Street. Please bring a non-perishable food item for the Loaves and Fishes OB program.
* Please find Committee that interests you and sign up, share ideas, contact
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
This is all great. One question…what was the “concern” about the loaves & fishes program donations? That sentence seems like an unfinished thought.
Jon, I agree. I also would like to know more about that. We’ll contact the OBWC and ask them.
There seems to be concern that donations of food anywhere in OB is attracting homeless here. First, there are a lot of wonderful homeless people in OB that do NOT need to be chased out of here.
Second, there are a lot of families struggling here in OB, that need help with food and clothing. They may have shelter, but may be barely scraping by, maybe unemployed, single parents, etc. And when a church hands out food, we are talking cans, bagged goods, things that take a stove, a kitchen, or at the very least, a hot plate to cook on. Most of our homeless here, or even our urban campers, or the traveler kids do NOT have that to cook on.
We do not have control over what an organization does with the food once we give it to them. The OBCW is here to HELP our community in all areas. The Women’s Club would like us to bring the non perishable food to the meetings. They are letting us have our meetings there for free. The Women’s Club has been around since the 1920’s and is this close to folding. They desperately need people to rent the hall. Let’s support them please, not criticize them.
OB Mercy – thanks so much for this clarification. And for your involvement in this effort.
Well said, Mercy. Thank you for all your help.
What is respect OB? Who are they and what do they do? What have they done? What are they going to do?
TX!
They printed stickers and held a (rally?) about a year ago? Other than that, I’m not sure what they’ve done. Too bad. I had such high hopes after the meeting in the park, but the idea seemed to fizzle before it even really got started.
I think the overall message of Respect OB did help somewhat, at least with the local population. I’ve seen less trash, less noise, more respectfulness, etc. However, when we live in a village with a continuous stream of younger “tumbleweeds” who many times have no respect and haven’t been here before, you are going to continue to run into the same issues.
Increased enforcement is the only answer, really. Stricter enforcement/fines for littering and vandalism is a great start.
Well, the OPCW is picking up where Respect OB left off I guess. And why not? We also love and respect OB and we have the same goals. Tyler and Jon…hope to see you at our meeting next month on June 10, 7-8 pm at the OB Women’s Club, 2160 Bacon St.
Thanks mercy, Mondays are no good for me. But I’m close friends with Greg, and already talking with him about ways I can help and be involved.
Thank you Frank for always reporting… it is important. Mercy, I agree that there are many struggling to get by in one of the best places to live, OB. Many are too proud to ask for help. So what you are doing, does matter. I have a thought about extending the OB Matters. I will come to the next meeting, yet would like to throw out some food for thought… can we enlist the OBMA to let us paint some of the utility boxes with awesome messages around our cause? I know a group of wonderful young girls from OB Elementary and Sacred Heart who would love to help spread our word. We may not be great artists, yet have serious passion for our town.
Dawn I would contact the OBMA about that. I don’t work for them, but do help them out when I can. I know there is already a group painting the boxes, but I don’t know how it works. I’m sure the OBMA would know though.