NEIGHBORHOOD NEEDS PARTNERSHIP WITH POLICE

In response to Anne Shaver's Oct. 4 letter to the editor -- although I have
not attended the meetings on Dialogue on Race, as she has for the past two
years, I was in attendance at the recent Citizen Review Board meeting at
Douglass Gym.

I, too, was disturbed that Bahama Village residents feel intimidated and
believe they are victims of harassment by the police.

I would like to relate an incident that occurred last winter.

We were expecting company -- a friend driving down from out of town. I did
not know that our friend had arrived at our home at 2 a.m. Our friend did
not wish to disturb us at that hour and elected to sleep in his car. The
next morning, he told us that what he heard on the street in front of our
house during the early hours was harrowing. A number of drug transactions
were conducted within his hearing. Not one, not two, but many more.

Both my husband and myself have been approached in our neighborhood with,
"Need anything?" I have personally seen drug hand-offs by people on
scooters, people on bicycles, people on the street to people in cars.

I have never seen nor heard of any of this open, blatant drug dealing in any
other part of our city.

While it personally pained me to hear the experiences of some residents at
the CRB hearing, it is also a painful fact of life that Bahama Village is
the center of drug activity in Key West. I've lived here for seven years,
and in my experience it has always been that way. I'm sure it's been going
on for more than the seven years of my residency.

In further support, Village Voices, the neighborhood newsletter, quotes Mr.
Donald Carey, "Today, the drug dealers are revered because of the money that
they flaunt in the community and their conspicuous consumption."

I do believe that the offended parties are good, decent people who do not
want this activity in our neighborhood.

I can't help but wonder what the result would be if, instead of resentment
and anger, Key West police officers were told, "Officer, I'm Jane/John Doe,
and I'm pleased to meet you. I want you to know me. I live here in the
neighborhood. I want to know you, too, and I'll look forward to greeting you
when you're on patrol here. I also want to thank you for your presence,
because I know you're trying to provide us protection and to stop the drug
activity."

I may be putting too simplistic a spin on a deep-seated problem, but perhaps
there needs to be more sensitivity on both sides.

Bahama Village residents need some appreciation of the stresses involved in
the daily activity of an officer on patrol in Bahama Village. The officers
obviously need some training in people skills.

Wouldn't it be better if we could work together to eradicate the scourge of
drug trafficking that is the basis of this contention.

Suzanne Washburn, Key West