2 Arvada Press
October 25, 2012
A modest proposal: The Jessica initiative My wife and I have had several very dark conversations over the past few days. Mostly, they go something like this: “Well, what do they do when you can’t get to school right at the last bell?” “They go and play on the playground with some friends for about 10 minutes until I get there.” “Are there teachers out there?” “No — it’s after school, and they’ve got other duties.” “Well, who watches them?” “Nobody — they’re on a playground for a few minutes.” At which point we spend the next hour trying to figure out how to rearrange our schedules so that our young children don’t ever have a minute out in public where they are not covered by a responsible pair of eyes. I hate this. I hate this feeling, I hate this fear, I hate the constant state of heightened vigilance. And I especially hate that all of this comes at the expense of our children having the opportunity to experience the world without a protection umbrella around them. But that’s what the abduction and murder of Jessica Ridgeway has done to us. Jessica Ridgeway left in the morning for a short walk — a few blocks — that she had negotiated on her own hundreds of times. Somewhere in that short trip she was taken. One adult on the street, one parent seeing their own child to the end of the block, one retiree tending their rose bushes, one young couple jogging around the block could have made all the world of difference. And it’s not that anyone is to blame, except for one evil, twisted man. But we
can do better. I want kids to feel safe walking to school through my neighborhood. I want my kids to feel safe playing on our block with the other kids; I want my kids to know that if something bad starts, they can run to the nearest house and get the help they need; I want all the kids on the block to know that if something bad starts, they can run to my door and get the help they need. And it all starts with a stronger community. Evil of the sort that struck out at Jessica Ridgeway thrives in a vacuum, and all of us spending all our energies on work and carpool and our cyber-communities have left a huge hole where our neighborhoods should be. I’m guilty of it, too — to be honest, I probably spend more time on Facebook every day than I do in my own front yard. Well, that needs to end. I am proposing today a new idea, borrowing from local churches: The Jessica Initiative. It’s really a fairly simple thing. First, meet everybody on your block and within a stone’s throw of your house. Have a block party or a barbecue. Initiate some event to get to know everybody. Make sure to introduce the kids. In fact, we have this wonderful holiday coming up that’s great fun for
the kids, and a real opportunity — how about a Halloween party or community potluck? Something. Build the ties that bind a neighborhood together so we all have a stock in the safety of each other. Step Two: Learn when the local schools let out or have bus drop-off on your block, and then make a concerted effort to be out in front of your house for 15 minutes. Walk the dog, water the flowers. That’s all. Don’t you think our kids would be better off walking a path that is lined with friends and protectors? And it’s just 15 minutes out of your day. Step Three: establish who has necessary skills on the block. Who’s a nurse or doctor or E.M.T.?
Is there a law enforcement or military presence in the neighborhood? If the kids need help, where should they run to first for what kind of help? And give everybody on the block the purple ribbons that some schools have started distributing. Let the world know that you’re watching. That’s it. No federal program, no mountain of paperwork. Just neighbors rediscovering the art of neighboring. For our kids’ sake. Michael Alcorn is a music teacher and fitness instructor who lives in Arvada with his wife and three children. He graduated from Alameda High School and the University of Colorado-Boulder.
SO MUCH INSIDE THE PRESS THIS WEEK Remembering Jessica: Faith Bible, public celebrate life of 10-year-old girl. Page 7 Happy anniversary: City manager celebrates first year. Page 4
Inside: Special section “Women to Watch” celebrates women of Jefferson County. See pullout
Home life: Time of the year for Fall Fix-up pages. Pages 11-12
Life: Story and spectacle combine in Cirque du Soleil’s “Quidam.” Page 10
Sports: Arvada West and Ralston Valley end season eliminated at state. Page 20