TKC NOTE: This shouldn't get lost in the mix for Sunday because it's an important testimony regarding public safety from a volunteer hoping to help Kansas City.
To wit . . .
READ THE WORD OF A LOCAL VOLUNTEER RAISING SAFETY CONCERNS REGARDING KANSAS CITY MAYOR SLY'S READING PROGRAM!!!
Check it:
Issue - The Upper Room/Turn the Page KC
As you know, the Mayor has initiated his "Turn the Page KC" program to help inner-city kids read at grade level. This program has partnered with The Upper Room which is a non-profit organization that has been engaging in activities in Kansas City since 1999. I truly believe in their mission; so, I decided to volunteer for their summer reading program.
The Upper Room has activities in about 15+ churches around the East Side area. I decided to volunteer at the Morning Star church location at 27th & Wabash. Now, I was already aware that this was not the best location; since I was aware, I assumed that the coordinators and parents were aware as well. And so, I assumed that proper measures would be taken to ensure safety of property and person.
However, on my 3rd day of volunteering, as I went to my car to head home, I discovered that my catalytic converter had been stolen from my car, in broad daylight, in the church's parking lot. I immediately filed a police report and attempted to speak with the site director whom was out on a field trip.
My repair bill was over $500. I attempted to call the site director again and also the volunteer director to see if I could receive some support with the bill (as I am a college student that works part-time at basically minimum wage). And here starts the issue:
The receptionist for the site director told me that there was nothing that they could do since their own vehicles and buses had been vandalized previously. If they couldn't help themselves, how could they help me? The receptionist for the volunteer director told me that volunteers parked at their own risk and that their was nothing that they could do. He also said that crime was a fact of life in the city.
Well...
1. If they knew that this site already had previous incidents of vehicle vandalism and if volunteers parked at their own risk, why was I not warned about this ahead of time? If I had known that there was an actual safety issue with regards to property, then I could have factored that into my calculations about where to volunteer.
2. Both receptionists had a nonchalant attitude with regards to crime. Crime should NOT be considered a fact of life. There should be no complacency. We should be actively trying to eliminate it and act out against it. At the very least, we should be trying to prevent it...which brings me to my next point.
3. Crime can strike you anywhere: whether you're in the East Side or the Golden Ghetto. However, if you know for a fact that crimes have been committed on your property, why would you not take preventive measures against it? When I posed this question to the receptionist, he said that it would be unfeasible for the church to have someone guard the parking lot. I guess I don't understand why. There are plenty of people that have court-mandated community service; there are also volunteers like me.
It bothers me that these people see crime as a normal facet of life because it should never be seen as such. It also bothers me that these people have numerous children under their supervision but aren't taking the most extensive steps to ensure everyone's bodily and property safety. Since the church is one block up from Prospect with its shady corner characters, I wrongfully assumed that these variables were taken into consideration.
Three weeks later, I received a check for a little over half of my damages. I guess I should be happy about that....
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Source: http://www.tonyskansascity.com/2013/07/the-tkc-sunday-special-kansas-city.html
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