April 22nd CBS Meeting

Last night I attended the Community Based Services meeting. I went there not exactly knowing what to expect. I’ll admit I am pretty new to all this Community Outreach stuff. When I entered the building I was overwhelmed and exhausted. Not because I was chasing my kids all day, but because I had carried two tables up some stairs and down some stairs. Whew! (Wipes brow) What a workout.

After unsuccessfully setting up the two tables with Karen I allowed her and Joe to take over the project. My task then was to track down Don and help a friend of mine learn about her group options. She is not from our area, but she is no less concerned about keeping her neighborhood safe. From there I bumped into Leslie from Whitman Area Neighbors and Kathleen from the News Tribune. I also call those two, friends. Kathleen introduced me to (give me a minute while I dig through my purse) Marty Campbell. He is running for City Council. Okay, I was joking (maybe) when I asked him what he would think if I ran for the council. Together we went back to my table with Kathleen and he met Karen.

Shortly after that introduction, I ran into a few members of our neighborhood. It was nice having the support of our neighbors. By the time we were done with Marty our table was set (thanks to Karen and Joe) and we went into another room to begin the meeting.

What is CBS?

In truth? Community Based Service’s is a group of very dedicated members of our City reaching out to us, to help us better our neighborhood. Through this dedication we as a community can improve how we live. CBS provides us with Liaison Officers, Code Enforcement Officers, and a Development Specialist. If you know Don Williams then you have already seen proof of his dedication. CBS is mainly focused on Crime Reduction and Blight Elimination.

What do we want as a Community?

After the introduction of CBS we were asked to group together and determine what we as Residents of the City of Tacoma wanted to see CBS focus on. What are your priorities? Let the battles begin.

Our group of strangers came together and listed the complaints we had Traffic, Burglaries, Graffiti, and Drugs/Gangs. After agreeing on those subjects we asked each other what we thought was our main concern? We know the city can’t track each and every gang/drug house. We know Graffiti pretty much happens over night. Burglaries happen when we aren’t home and almost no one sees it as it happens. Traffic on the other hand can be controlled. The city can assess the streets and prioritize those which have high incidents. Neighborhood Watch groups can go out and take advantage of the Radar Patrol program.

Once we narrowed it down to Traffic Control we had this idea that maybe with more Traffic Circles and Speed Humps Burglars and Gangs may not want to avoid these obstacles while they are getting away from their recent ‘activities’. So, when it came time to choose a spokesperson for a newly formed mini group, we pointed to Karen and she proudly shared our Priority Concern with the rest of the citizens at the meeting.

What to do while you wait for a change?

1. Become an active member in your local group.
2. Participate in CBS events. (May 16th there is an Area Wide Clean Up.)
3. Keep your eyes open for anything you believe is suspicious.
4. Get to know your neighbor.

Who to call?

Community Liaison Officer – Don Williams
594-7945, dwilliam@cityoftacoma.orgCode

Enforcement Officer – Lisa Melancon
591-5001, tacomacares@cityoftacoma.org

Program Development Specialist – Allyson Griffith
591-5119, agriffith@cityoftacoma.org

Non-Emergency Number 798-4721