Category: People

SacTweetup is Trending

I logged into the Twitter pages this morning to find that #sactweetup was one of the top “Trends” along side #gleefinale, Hines Ward, Lebron, and Vancouver.

From alejandroreyes.com…

Last night we hosted our 23rd SacTweetup and this by far has been the most successful one hands down. With over 200 people at the Blue Cue, the place was en fuego and people were connecting like crazy.

I’ve never been completely sold on the Tweetup idea, but this is a cool thing for Sacramento and for the folks that put the event together.

Police clean up makeshift homeless shelter

Earlier this week, I witnessed law enforcement removing folks who were living under Interstate 5 along the Garden Highway. Since I ride by this area every morning I have been tracking the growth of this tent city wondering how they are created and ultimately removed. They gathered quite a pile of belongings and trash which was gone the next day.

Then this morning I read this article about police returning to Discovery Park in wake of rape and I wonder if there is a connection.

The woman was at the park for a company barbeque when she was attacked about 8 p.m. Wednesday. She walked into the restroom at the park near the Garden Highway and Truxel Road when she was grabbed and sexually attacked, police said.

Anyone know how makeshift homeless shelters are allowed/removed? Makes you wonder where the folks end up once they are pushed out of an area like this.

It’s like that moment

So, you're getting a burning sensation when you urinate?
So you're getting a burning sensation when you urinate?

Back in 2007, CoolDMZ wrote this post about the rate of sexually transmitted diseases in Sac county. Well, it’s 2011 now and apparently Sacramento hasn’t lost that loving feeling.

“ALARMING” is how Chief Public Health Officer Glennah Trochet describes the STD problem in Sacramento. In fact, it’s so bad the county received $30,000 from a national organization to promote STD testing.

It’s good to see Glennah still has her job. Or is it “Glenna”?

“They really don’t care about protection now days,” Raquel Perez is 16 and she tells a familiar story. “It’s like that moment, they don’t really think about it; so they just like forget about it and at the end they end up suffering the consequences.”

They sure do, Raquel, they sure do.

To tent, or not to tent

There is quite a comment thread going on over at sacbee.com about this article on the tent city situation in Seattle. It’s off-topic already, of course. A lot of Loaves and Fishes bashing.

The tent cities around Seattle run on a system of self-governance, where residents elect leadership councils and vote weekly on matters such as whether to require hand sanitizer in the kitchen tent and who should take charge of cleaning blankets. There is zero tolerance toward drug and alcohol use; profanity and spitting are discouraged. No more than 100 campers are allowed at each site. The encampments are managed by nonprofit organizations, and nearly all financial support comes through fundraising. Residents work security shifts, screening visitors for arrest warrants and patrolling the cramped aisles between tents.

Yowza, no spitting? What is this, Russia? This is some idea though. Kevin Johnson is on board, too.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said last week that he is frustrated that a plan has not materialized. He said a tent city could provide a place for the homeless to transition into permanent housing and “integrate back into mainstream society.”

Well, I wouldn’t go that far… Continue reading “To tent, or not to tent”

A city under a social experiment

Follow me on this one, folks. According to fox40.com, the Sacramento Police Department has a theory, well it appears they have several, but at any rate.

…they’re looking to stop crime at it’s lowest level. “You stop the smaller crimes, you stop the social disorder, it’ll have a prevention effect,” says Sgt. Renee Mitchell of the Sacramento Police Department. In other words, stop the purse snatching, prevent the murder.

Hmm, okay. I’ve always believed in the theory that states, “Stop the purse snatching, prevent someone from losing their purse.” But, I’m willing to go with it.

Detectives have identified 42 spots in the city where they get called — a lot. For the next 90 days, you’ll see more officers at half of those locations, at random times throughout the day.

How long before the Sacramento Bee comes up with an interactive map detailing these 42 spots and when the cops will be there? (I wrote this as a joke, only to find this at sacbee.com!)

Think of it as a city under a social experiement. The thought is if criminals don’t know when cops are going to be there, they’ll be less likely to commit crimes. Conversely, if the officers are broken of their patrol habits, they’ll be more vigilant and therefore more likely to spot trouble.

Conversely?

What do you think? Who is being tested here, the criminals or the police officers?

DUI Checkpoint on Thursday

Attention Sacramento Kings players and personnel, according to Sacto 9-1-1…

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver’s license checkpoint beginning at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, at 21st Street and Capital Avenue.

A commenter did call the Bee out on the misspelling of “Capitol Avenue.”

It’s what happens when you cut & paste directly from the PD press release, no actual journalists get hurt doing that.

If you’re asking yourself why cops announce DUI checkpoints in advance, you’re not alone. Luckily, the Bee offered up this link to “Why cops announce DUI checkpoints in advance.”

There some snark to be had about this article. I’m sure the two of you Sacramentans that aren’t off this week will enjoy it.

Music and backscatter at SMF

I’ve been looking for an opportunity to insert this video clip into a post so I was pleased to read Screening methods leading some to drive, not fly in Sacramento on sacbee.com.

“We were thinking of flying to Oregon to see our family but instead we’re going to drive 11 hours,” said Sonja Wilson, 49, of Sacramento. Wilson said she flew two years ago and received a less invasive pat-down than those used in recent weeks. Still, she felt violated and doesn’t want a more thorough frisking. “I already felt totally sexually assaulted back then,” she said. “I can’t imagine what it must be like now.”

Ohh kay. I don’t get out much, so please share your experiences with airport security. Is it really this bad? I did learn that… “of the two secondary screening procedures – Backscatter scan and enhanced pat-down – Sacramento International only has the enhanced pat-down procedure available.” Man, that’s a relief.

Continue reading “Music and backscatter at SMF”

Bringing back the “need-to-know basis”

I was reading this story on news10.net about how security at Arden Fall mall used license plate scanners and HD cameras to help police arrest a car thief and couldn’t help but think, “should they really be telling us this stuff?”

One quick scroll down to the comments area (my love/hate with comments continues, btw) and I found I was not alone.

but I wish they wouldn’t release information like this to the media. There are a lot of effective tools out there for law enforcement that have been effective because the bad guys don’t know what they are or where they are. Now there is a better chance that bad guys will know not to drive stolen cars to the Arden mall, which will reduce the effectiveness of the program.

So, what’s your take? Does publicizing these advanced security measures simply help educate would-be criminals to commit craftier crimes? Or, does knowing about this stuff prevent someone from attempting an illegal act? I’m leaning toward the former.

What about you?

Sacramento ranks 6th in Halloween list

Trick-or-Treat Rankings from zillow.comZillow.com’s Trick-or-Treat Housing Index has Sacramento coming in at #6, ahead of Chicago and Boston.

There is a common belief that wealthy neighborhoods are the Holy Grail for harvesting the most Halloween candy. However, to provide a more holistic approach to trick-or-treating, the Zillow Trick-or-Treat Housing Index was calculated using four equally weighted data variables: Zillow Home Value Index, population density, Walk Score and local crime data from Relocation Essentials. Based on those variables, the Index represents cities that will provide the most candy, with the least walking and safety risks.

That’s decent news for Sacramento. We need decent news, right?

If you haven’t played around with walkscore.com, give it a shot. My house only received a 43 out of 100 and was deemed “Car Dependent” with 81% of Sacramento residents having a higher Walk Score.

What’s your Walk Score?