There was a very nice piece on Fox 16 News Saturday night about the Argenta Ambassadors. Click here for a link to the news story and video. I think the story shows how the ambassadors make a real difference downtown.
Spin doctors...
Written by reader, on 07-07-2008 19:43
Some selected quotes from the article...
"North Little Rock's Argenta neighborhood wants to give you one more reason to cross the river, a stronger feeling of security."
Of course they do.
Of course that is the actual purpose.
So what's with all the message-posters on this forum
objecting loudly to the suggestion that these
guys ARE, in fact, just 'security guards' and
they they ARE, in fact, needed?
A better quote would have been...
"Everyone knows that Argenta still has an
image problem and is perceived as a bad
part of town. We are trying to change that
perception and increase business down here."
What's wrong with the truth?
"We want to make people feel welcome here."
Yeah... the RIGHT people.
People with money to spend.
"The downtown council is working on gathering packets of information to provide the homeless in need of food or housing."
Horsepoop.
WHO is working on it, WHEN will it
be finished and WHY wasn't this
material ready to go when the
program started?
I'll bet a sawbuck these 'packets'
never appear. Any takers?
"Creegan's Irish Pub owner Jason Fallis said it's a way to help head them in the right direction so we don't just do what happens a lot of time which is just kind of walk by and turn the other way."
Yea, right.
The 'right direction' Jason is referring
to is "anywhere but around Cregeen's".
In the year that he's been open, what has this
fellow actually done for the homeless?
Zero. Zip. Nada.
It's all just camera talk.
I didn't know that Jason was actually the
'Chairman of the Argenta Downtown Council
Public Safety Committee.' Now there's a
title for ya.
It all makes more sense now, knowing that.
"We've already gotten a lot of feedback from people saying
'it's really nice to see these guys out here. I feel safer',"
Nice pat on your own back, then, Jason.
I assume whoever that was ( actual people? ) meant
that they WERE/ARE, in fact, walking around afraid of
being out and about in Argenta and that this
has 'helped them'.
Well... more is more then, right?
Why not have 20 of them on duty and space them
every 15 feet along Main Street?
That would REALLY do the the trick, yes?
It just seems like an awful lot of hype has been
expended over this 'security guard' thing to
try and pretend it is something other than
what it really is.
I also still think it's sending the WRONG message.
Somebody tell Jason to tell Buford and 'Scooby'
to be careful.
I still think I'm going to put on my worst clothes
and just go wander up and down in front of Cregeen's
with my BlackBerry in voice record mode in my pocket
just to see what happens.
I wonder if I'll get "headed in the right direction." |
Not a Ruse
Written by Old Roi Polloi, on 07-07-2008 23:52
Reader, you obviously don't live in Argenta and you don't know the heart of the neighborhood. I can understand your skepticism and I don't slight you for it. I'll just take a minute to set the record straight.
Argenta merchants and residents do feel safe, and we don't need security guards or cameras on the streets. The ambassadors weren't hired in response to danger or perceived danger, but to contribute to an atmosphere of safety and goodwill. The goodwill, including goodwill toward the homeless, is genuine, not fake. If you lived in Argenta or spent time getting to know us, you'd know what I say is true. Argenta IS safe and it IS friendly; the ambassadors are not a ruse. I don't know why they are dressed like officers; I agree that Hawaiian shirts and friendly name tags would make more sense. |
A ruse by any other name...
Written by reader, on 08-07-2008 00:47
They ended up 'dressed like 'officers'
because that is, in fact, the 'ruse'
you say doesn't exist.
ruse [ruÐz] noun
a clever trick or plan
ruse - ro^oz, /ru:z/
An action or plan which is intended to deceive.
An astute endeavor marked by a keen sense artful deception.
Call them whatever you like.
It's a 'clever plan', that's fer sure.
VERY few people will NOT think these
guys are either Wackenhut or even
off duty NLR officers. That's how you
get the 'ruse' of police protection
at only $8.50 per hour and not the
standard rate(s) for ACTUAL security men with some real training.
It's really quite brilliant.
So brilliant, I think, that it deserves
the watchful eye of the public.
I'm still trying to find out more details
about the "search and destroy" mission
( sic: pursuit ) of a panhandler 'out
of their range' on the very first night
of duty, as reported by Sonja Miller,
but I can't find anyone who knows what
happened.
Still don't know what kind of WARNINGS
( verbal, written? ) were supposedly
given out that evening by these PRIVATE
CITIZENS dressed up like cops for Halloween, or what would
have prompted them to enter 'pursuit' mode
instead of just being the 'eyes and ears' of
legitimate law enforcement.
Still nothing anywhere on who these guys
REALLY are, what QUALIFICATIONS they have
for the job, or what these 'ranges' are
that even their own job description says
they are supposed to have. Not even one question along those lines from the Fox news reporters but since when is piss-poor local reporting a surprise to anyone.
Still nothing anywhere about when they are
supposed to get the radios their own job
descriptions say they are supposed to have.
You actually admit to the 'ruse' yourself
in your own post. I BELIEVE YOU when you
say that none of the Merchants downtown
believe Argenta is a dangerous place or
that there NEEDED to be Security Guards
roaming the streets.
No, I don't live in
Argenta, but I frequent the are about as
much as anyone does who does NOT live
there. I do KNOW Argenta. Have for quite
some time.
The 'ruse' factor kicks in because of your
own words... but it's not you or your
fellow Argentans that anyone is trying to
fool... it's the 'tourists' and the other
people that NEED to come there and feel
safe who are the target of the whole idea.
It's theatrics, with an intended result.
Keep the panhandlers out of sight.
It's a clever plan ( Sic: ruse ).
If it's not... then I challenge the ADC
to drop the police uniform look and go
with something else ASAP, before their is an incident of some kind and it all hits the fan. |
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