Last Thursday’s Tulsa World featured a story about the Tulsa Police Department’s new CompStat Crime Tracking (Tracking Tulsa’s Crime). Those reading closely may have caught a mention of our car vandal by Major Williams.

Gilcrease Division, north-central and northwestern Tulsa: Maj. Paul Williams noted minimal change in the total number of Part 1 crimes during the evaluation period in the Gilcrease Division, which he commands. During last month’s time period, 423 such crimes were reported, compared to 422 the month before.

Williams said the division saw increases in auto thefts and larcenies, specifically burglaries from vehicles. CompStat helped officers focus on areas where car thieves are concentrating, including the 1100 block of North Main Street and the downtown entertainment districts.

“In one case we were able to identify a suspect, and in the other case we identified a location and specific day of the week and time frame when the thefts are occurring,” Williams said.

Gilcrease officers now have specific information they can use to tackle the problem.

Palmer noted that last year the city saw a drastic decrease in auto thefts, with more than 30 percent fewer auto thefts in 2008 compared to 2007. He suggested vehicle thefts might be cycling back up.

The statistics also showed that officers in the division made 14 more arrests for Part 1 crimes during that time period, increasing from 64 to 78.

Major Williams confirmed to me today that the TPD did in fact bring our car vandal into police custody on March 26th! Thank you to everyone who made calls to the TPD and provided information that lead to the arrest of this criminal! If you continue to experience car break-ins, please let me know.

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At our next neighborhood meeting, April 18th, we will be foregoing regular business to welcome Captain Karen Tipler from the Tulsa Police Department. Capt. Tipler will be giving us a crime report for our area as well as answering questions. If you have any questions that you think might need researching, please let me know and I will forward them on to Capt. Tipler. Please plan on attending this informative presentation! After the meeting we will be hosting the Annual Plant Swap in the community garden.

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The Brady Heights Alert Neighbor program will be launched 6:00 pm on May 7th at Centenary United Methodist. A representative from the Tulsa Crime Commission will be leading this presentation and teaching us how to begin. Come and get involved!

Look for more details on these events in April’s issue of the Brady Heights Newsletter

OETA’s Oklahoma News Report visited Brady Heights yesterday afternoon for a segment on the community garden debate. Tony Newsome, Justin Pickard and Justin’s daughter Ellie joined me in the garden to speak to reporter Cathy Tatom about our garden, and its positive effects on our neighborhood.

Read more about the segment, which aired this afternoon (March 18th) on the Oklahoma News Report Blog. The segment may air again on this weekend’s edition of TulsaTimes.

Thank you, Cathy, for visiting us… and for aerating our soil with your high heels!

Remember that the public hearing and vote on the Community Garden Ordinance has again been postponed. It will now be heard on March 26th. The next Brady Heights Neighborhood meeting will be this Saturday, March 21st at 10am.

The March newsletter is now available for download!

The next Brady Heights Neighborhood Association meeting will be March 21st at 10 am. Hope to see you all there!

The City Council will be meeting at 6:00pm on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at the City Council Chambers in City Hall.  City Hall is located at the One Technology Center at the NW corner of 2nd & S. Cincinnati Ave.  Please come out in support of the Community Garden Ordinance!

Bumper crop

by: World’s Editorial Writers
Saturday, February 28, 2009
2/28/2009 3:36:37 AM

If you plant a community garden, what grows out of it?

First, people who work there end up with produce — healthy crops that they appreciate more because their own sweat went into the process. They grow food.

Second, people who work there take a more intense interest in the neighborhood. They notice things that don’t seem right, and call the police. They talk to each other about problems, and look for solutions. They grow a community.

And then, of course, there’s the salvage yard.

What? Well, that’s the way one city councilor sees it.

Councilor Jack Henderson is resisting a proposed zoning change that would allow community gardens on privately owned vacant lots because, he says, that would lead to more salvage yards.

What kinds of seeds does Henderson think they’re going to be planting?

Here’s a row of tomatoes. There’s some corn over there. And here’s our bumper crop of ’57 Ramblers.

Henderson admitted that his scenario was “a stretch” but added “You know what I mean.”

No, we don’t.

Community gardens don’t lead to salvage yards. They lead in the opposite direction. They promote economic security and neighborhood solidarity. They turn vacant lots into productive centers of sustainability. (more…)