BERKELEY MUST ACT NOW TO PUT END TO VIOLENCE

EVERY BERKELEY resident should be outraged that people in South Berkeley
are living each and every day with violent crime.

Just imagine having to cope with the "ordinary day-to-day stress" of
raising children, working to earn a living, driving in today's traffic and
maintaining a household plus having to deal with crime and the threat of
crime outside of your door. In the past few months, South Berkeley
residents have had gunshots in the night, a body dumped on the street, over
20 rounds fired from guns at high noon near a public school, young boys
viciously kicked and beaten by other youngsters, killings related to a drug
war stemming from shared social problems with Oakland, a resurgence of drug
dealing, hate crimes that go unrecognized and so have little chance of
being stopped, and a high school football game canceled because of the fear
of violence.

Neighborhoods are organizing, block meetings are occurring, rewards are
being offered and the police are working on the problems. However, our City
Council is absent from the scene. What is happening in South Berkeley is so
important that it isn't a matter for an individual council member to sit
down and have a little chat with the city manager. The problem is so big
and important that the entire council must respond. Secondly, what is
happening can easily explode further, so the response from the city must be
as swift as possible.

Since the council can't and shouldn't do the job of the police department,
you might ask why they should even be involved. Some of you might say let
the police do their job, shrug your shoulders and go on reading your newspaper.

Wrong. As leaders in this city, the council must leave no doubt in anyone's
mind that all of our neighborhoods are equally important and are vital
parts of creating a healthy community. The residents of Berkeley must
remind them of this basic responsibility.

So, what should the council do? The council can:

* Keep the city focused on the problems and the task of finding solutions.

* Ensure that adequate city resources are targeted to help.

* Enact new policies and programs when appropriate.

* Provide that the city's response is built on a foundation of data and
that accountability is not forgotten as an essential part of the solution.

* Actively work to fulfill the true promise of community policing by
supporting increased and meaningful communication between residents and police.

* Bring together the city, school district and arms of the justice system
to work cooperatively in a comprehensive response.

* Most important, work directly with the people in the area every step of
the way.

In light of the important work to be done, it is simply not acceptable that
following a six-week recess, council meetings were canceled because one
member went on a European vacation. It is not acceptable that it takes
weeks to get even minor items on the council's agenda because they must
first be reviewed by the new Agenda Committee.

Not waiting for further damage to occur, several individual South Berkeley
neighborhoods are already coming together in a single large focus group to
forge a plan of positive action to work with the police, city, school
district, district attorney's office and other agencies so their children
can be safe and their neighborhoods can be the pleasant places they expect
and are entitled to. Areas in west Berkeley suffering from similar problems
shouldn't be forgotten. They, too, need to follow this same organizational
pattern. South and West Berkeley coupled together could be a powerful force
for change.

The effort being undertaken by South Berkeley, and hopefully joined by West
Berkeley residents as well, is promising and exciting. This effort needs to
be supported by every resident and neighborhood group in this community.
You can show your support by writing to the council indicating your concern
and asking for their immediate and active involvement in addressing these
problems.

The school district is to be commended for the work they have already done
in weeding out troublemakers attending Berkeley schools on transfer from
other districts, but they should be encouraged to continue to address those
problems and that of truancy. Our children cannot learn when they are not
in school, and children who are not positively involved with their schools
are part of the problem. Write to the school district as well, thanking
them for what they have done, and encouraging them to continue their
efforts. The link between police and the district attorney's office with
our neighborhoods needs to be reopened and strengthened. You need to write
the D.A., Tom Orloff, telling him that Berkeley is serious about cleaning
up the crime and drug dealing in our community.

All of us have the responsibility to make Berkeley the wonderful community
it can be. Let's do it now!

Shirley Dean is former mayor of Berkeley.