"Don't fence me in!"

Last Tuesday's meeting with the neighbours was ostensibly convened to discuss whether or not to do away with a garden feature that graces our mews' courtyard, or, in the opinion of some, is a disgusting eyesore. That's by the way as far as this blog post is concerned, because what I found far more disturbing than the rather acrimonious discussion that ensued was an incidental remark by one of the neighbours wondering whether we shouldn't really be discussing something of much higher priority: how to make our row of houses more secure from unwanted interference by having a gate erected across our driveway.

A couple of bikes have been stolen from this driveway recently, probably by somebody desperate for drug money, and people fear break-ins or the possibility of drugs and used syringes being dumped or concealed amongst the plants in our driveway gardens.

Several of us had attended another meeting last month at our local community centre concerning people's perception that homeless vagrants, drug dealers / drug addicts and prostitutes were threatening the safety of the neighbourhood. There's a concentration of "social services" nearby for such people who tend to wander over to our park and get up to no good there.

The police we met, admitting that this was "a hot button issue", were very matter-of-fact and made some practical suggestions. We should send more letters and emails to the politicians that represent us to ask them to do something about tightening up the legislation, join our Community Association or start a Neighbourhood Watch. We could have a safety audit made of our park and encourage the city council to get the bushes trimmed (this has already happened). Perhaps we might consider "adopting" our park. We should report any suspicious activity by phoning the police at once. Dial 911 if the situation seems to be life-threatening, but otherwise dial 230-6211. We should be aware that the park is out of bounds to the public after 11p.m.

The trouble is that the police already work night and day without being able to solve much. 98% of the phone calls they respond to are false alarms. Even so, there are always three squads of police on patrol in this district (divided into "quadrants" of surveillance) working 10 hour shifts. Recently an undercover operation took place lasting five days, on or around a street near here that was described as "a vein of addiction" (interesting metaphor), which entailed weeks of preparation. Of course the court procedures that resulted from the nineteen arrests they made are still on-going. Some law-breakers "ask to be arrested" because as a result of their convictions they will be forced into treatment.

This is not a problem with easy solutions and even though I appreciate the neighbours' anxiety (one of them seemed to think I'd feel more strongly about it—i.e. be less naive!—if our own house was broken into) I'd still refuse to live in a gated community like the Californians who want to keep "the Mexicans" out. Maybe I have been influenced by T.C. Boyle's The Tortilla Curtain, and by my daughter's decision to move out of her London flat when the decision was made to have a security fence erected there. Whatever, Chris and I too shall put our house on the market at once if it comes to that in our neighbourhood. Whatever the risks, I do not want to live in a cage.

Just ask the Berliners.

Robert Frost put it far better than I ever shall:

Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down.