Sangaree Connection

The new Sangaree library is scheduled to open Thursday, March 1^st at 11:00 a.m.

Library personnel and other county employees have been working hard these last few weeks to make the deadline.

Please stop by and visit.

(Update 3/1/07)
The Post and Courier printed a story on the opening of the library.

Sangaree library set to open today

The meeting was a great success. At least 70 people from Sangaree came to show their support as Dan Williams and Suzette Joyce spoke in front of the council. A collection of vandalism photos was also provided to the council members.

Councilwomen Cathy Davis e-mailed me to say that we did a great job. “The speakers were well prepared with good information and presented themselves in a professional manner. And the turn out of residents was great.�

WCBD 2 and WCSC 5 and The Post and Courier came to the County Council meeting and both TV stations aired the story at 11 pm that night.

You can see the full story at…

WCBD TV2
Sangaree Residents Ask Council For Help

The Post and Courier
Berkeley residents urge council to boost number of deputies

This explanation of the “broken window” theory was written by Henry G. Cisneros when he was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. It was published in a series of essays titled “Defensible Space: Deterring Crime and Building Community” - January 1995.

James Q. Wilson and George Kelling developed the `broken windows’ thesis to explain the signaling function of neighborhood characteristics. This thesis suggests that the following sequence of events can be expected in deteriorating neighborhoods. Evidence of decay (accumulated trash, broken windows, deteriorated building exteriors) remains in the neighborhood for a reasonably long period of time. People who live and work in the area feel more vulnerable and begin to withdraw. They become less willing to intervene to maintain public order (for example, to attempt to break up groups of rowdy teens loitering on street corners) or to address physical signs of deterioration.

Sensing this, teens and other possible offenders become bolder and intensify their harassment and vandalism. Residents become yet more fearful and withdraw further from community involvement and upkeep. This atmosphere then attracts offenders from outside the area, who sense that it has become a vulnerable and less risky site for crime.

The “broken window” theory suggests that neighborhood order strategies such as those listed below help to deter and reduce crime.

• Quick replacement of broken windows
• Prompt removal of abandoned vehicles
• Fast clean up of illegally dumped items, litter and spilled garbage
• Quick paint out of graffiti
• Finding (or building) better places for teens to gather than street corners
• Fresh paint on buildings
• Clean sidewalks and street gutters

On Saturday Dan Williams and Suzette Joyce practiced for the meeting. 18 Sangaree residents showed up to help and show support.

Statistics of Sangaree and Berkeley county crime were presented. Some of the information was shocking.

Photos have been taken of vandalism throughout Sangaree and will be presented to the council in a packet that also contains data on Sangaree crime.

The Library is expected to open some time in the first part of March. The library staff is hoping for the 1^st of March.

Hope to see you at the meeting tonight.

Berkeley County Council meeting
Monday, February 26, at 6:00 p.m.
County Building, 1003 Hwy 52, Moncks Corner
(Old K-Mart)

These posts are now archived for February. If you would like to post an incident please go to the March posting.

Thank you.