You can help plant daffodils at the Cleveland Cascade!

Join us this Saturday, November 8, from 9 AM till noon, for our third annual daffodil planting at the Cleveland Cascade! We have 200 bulbs that "Keep Oakland Beautiful" gave us. Recent rains have softened the hard clayey soil, aka Cascade concrete, so it'll be much easier to get those little bundles of future yellow bloom into the ground. Some bulbs can go into steep sections flanking the old waterfall. About 20 will go into a bare section near Lakeshore Avenue, north of the large circular exercise space.

The Cascade is an integral part of our neighborhood, and improvements to it can have an amazing widespread effect. A more beautiful Cascade encourages people to treat the park as an extension of their home. And that is exactly what it is for all of us. We welcome you to join us at the Cleveland Cascade Saturday from 9 am to noon. If you have a trowel, bring that. We will have a small supply of trowels, one pickax, plastic gloves and lots of food and drink.

Barbara and David

2008 national night out!

Dear Neighbors,

please join us for the 2008 national night out!

Tuesday, August 5, 7-9 pm
at the tree/traffic circle - summit of Merritt Avenue
Sponsored by Merritt & Capital Street Block Clubs

A nation-wide party to take back our streets,
get to know each other & share community for fun and mutual aid.

Bring an offering of food, beverage, balloons and whatever else you want to share, e.g., an ad for your new business venture, your latest musical creation. Get to know your neighbors!

We can use help setting up. To volunteer or for details:

Barbara Newcombe at 752-4406 [upper Merritt] barbaranewcombe (at) sbcglobal.net
David Bolaños at 465-3796 [Lower Merritt] dbolas42 (at) att.net

See you there!
~m

next steps

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking through the notes from the meeting on the 23rd, and want to give you all a sense of the next steps for our Block Club. This is directly thanks to Hoang Banh's Robbery Prevention Block Group Action Plan.

1. Crime Prevention training. We will be contacting Brenda Ivey, the Neighborhood Watch Coordinator.

2. We designated a resident liaison to the OPD Criminal Investigations Division.

3. We have a volunteer to communicate with the police about long-term problems.

4. We have three volunteers to walk the streets to check for dim or non-functioning street lighting, as well as to check for fire hydrants on the street.

I will be contacting the folks who volunteered for these positions.

Thanks again to all the police and to all the citizens who showed up to the meeting. Much was discussed, and I think it was very valuable.

the meeting last night

Barbara wrote a little post about last night's meeting...

::

Last night Capital St. had its first organizational meeting as a block club. Hoang Banh was there, plus some residents not even on Capital, AND 8 police officers. The police pretty much stayed for the entire session and contributed some old, some new information.

Here are some self-defense tips: look straight at persons walking toward you to indicate that you are aware; if asked for the time, be on guard for a robbery. Most of the other ideas are old ones that work on and off. Here is new information about our current spike in crime: it is being done by very young people, often as initiation for joining a gang. The police are reactive and depend on us to alert them to a nasty situation. They cannot always react as fast as they would like, but knowing what is happening where is very important for them.

And finally, and again, know your neighbors.

How sad that getting to know each other is being driven by crime. One encouraging event will be when we are able to recognize police because they are familiar figures and spend most of their time in our area. The 15X beat is like candy for opportunistic crime. We are on top of 580. In the 10 minutes it may take for a squad car to reply to a call, the criminal can be on the other side of Oakland. If not another city.

Capital Street Block Club has begun to coalesce because two people decided to take action, Michael and Kate. Nothing happens if we all wait for someone else to do something. That is what alot of criminals are planning on.

Barbara Newcombe

emergency meeting for capital street!

Dear Neighbors,

in response to the incident on Sunday night, we're having a short meeting on Wednesday, April 23 at 7pm at the Leaning Tower of Pizza restaurant at 498 Wesley Ave. The point of the meeting is to

* get to know your neighbors on Capital Street and the streets surrounding
* let people know about the resources that are available to you
* discuss strategies for crime prevention

We hope to see you there!

Thank you,
Michael

last night on capital street

*This post was from the 15x mailing list*

Dear Neighbors,

I live on Capital Street. Across the street last night a woman was held up at gunpoint in the lobby of her apartment building by two men who followed her in. She had her 3-year-old daughter with her. One of the men put a gun to the little girl's head and demanded money and then car keys. When the woman's mother in an apartment upstairs called down to see what was going on, the two men fled (without money or car keys). The police responded very quickly.

It's a horrible, horrible thing that these guys actually threatened a child. I'm not sure what to make of it -- were they actually unlikely to hurt her, given that they were fairly easily scared off?

Cafe (504) is open!

Dear Neighbors,

Cafe 504, which is located at 504 Wesley Avenue (next to the Laundromat), is officially open! They've been working hard for quite a while to get the place ready, so stop by for a cup and a snack - and bring your laptop! They have WiFi!

I very much enjoyed the latte they served me - they're using Blue Bottle Coffee which I've only had at the SF Farmer's Market before. It makes for a super creamy delicious espresso.

Yum.

On April 26 from 4-6 pm, there's an opening for Altered Memories, the show of work by photographer Kate August. Nice stuff.

Celebrate Earth Day with your Merritt Avenue Block Club!

Dear Neighbors,

are you looking for a fun and constructive way to spend this Earth Day and beautify your neighborhood? We have the answer for you!

Spend the 2008 Earth Day (Saturday, April 19) at the Cleveland Cascade!

We'll be gathering there from 9 am to 12 noon. Bring gloves and hand tools. Everything else will be supplied, including drinks and bites.

See you there!



(thanks to jim for the photo)

robbery prevention action plan

This is an action plan that was adopted by the Merritt Avenue Block Club in December 2007.

a. Dim or non-functioning street lighting �

1. Walk the block in a team and write down Pole Numbers. Pole #s are very important info to share with PWA Electrical.

Improve street lighting:

Contact Paul Chan - Public Works @ 615-5427

pchan@oaklandnet.com

b. Lack of street lighting (conduct an audit)

1. Determine list of locations
2. Contact Paul Chan for petition
3. Contact Councilmember Nadel's office for funding:
Council Aide: Carletta Starks @ 238-7032�

clstarks@oaklandnet.com

4. If funding not available, play attention to when the LLAD (Landscaping and Lighting Assessment District) Renewal is placed on the ballot again in the near future.

c. Lack of Building Exterior Lighting; Trees and shrubs blocking exterior lighting

Contact for free security inspection: Eddie Simlin or Titus Taylor
Police Services Technicians
Neighborhood Watch Program
238-6200 or 238-2384�

esimlin@oaklandnet.com or

ttaylor@oaklandnet.com

d. Trees and shrubs blocking street lighting

Contact for trimming city trees: there are three ways to contact Public Works Center:

1. email here

2. report it on their website here

3. call 615-5566

e. Personal Defense

Arrange with neighbor / relative to watch for your late return (Don't live among strangers. Know your neighbors!)

Scan area or drive around the block first before parking.
Use a whistle.
Walk in the middle of the street, where there is the mst light, away from shadows, trees, and bushes. Be careful for cars!

Use advice from this page - Residential Burglary Can Be Prevented!

Walk in numbers.

f. OPD Presence

1. Step up patrols!
2. Robbery Suppression Operation
3. Pedestrian Stings �
4. Recruitment: visit opdjobs.com

g. Lack of locking device or alarm �

Get The Club!

reporting suspicious activity

Many crimes can be prevented by reporting suspicious activity to the police non-emergency number at 777-3333. Crime prevention is more than just a police officer's job. It's the responsibility of all of us who live, work, and do business in Oakland. When you see a crime in progress do not hesitate to call the police at 777-3211 (from your cel phone) or 9-1-1 (don't use the 911 number on your cel phone). Give the location, details of the activity, and a complete description of the person(s) involved.

The following information may help you determine what kind of activity should be reported to the police:

Suspicious Person

A suspicious person is anyone who loiters in your neighborhood or someone who is going door-to-door. The person may be male or female dressed in any manner, of any age, race, color, or cultural background.

Never invite a stranger into your home without asking for identification, even if the person is dressed in a company uniform. Ask all salespersons and repair people for their identification. Call the company to verify if you did not personally request their service.

* Do not accept the phone number they give you, look it up in your telepone book or call information.

* Do not accept excuses or sales pitches such as, "this is a one-time offer or free gift with purchase."

* Do not let a stranger into your home to use the telephone, even if they say it's an emergency - instead, get them to give you the information and you make the call.

* Call the police to report a stranger at your front door.

* Do not get involved with anyone who asks you to show "good faith money".

* Do not purchase items from someone on the street. If the sale price sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Often these items will be stolen property.

Suspicious Vehicles

Record the license plate number an-or description of any unfamiliar cars parked in your neighborhood and alert your neighbors.

Be alert for cars cruising or circling your block. They may be driven by a burglar looking for any easy targets or opportunity.

Frequent car traffic / occupant visits for short periods of time to a house, apartment, or street corner could indicate drug activity.