Harrisburg Anti-Crime Initiative
Web Site Launched:
www.OneCityOneVoice.com
26 July 2006
What began as a conversation about the city’s recent lack of communications on crime has now sparked a fledgling citizen’s movement—and a new web site: www.OneCityOneVoice.com
Concerned citizens who gathered last Sunday at Fathom Design Group to talk about crime in Harrisburg have begun to shape a strategy for affecting how the community deals with the issue. Initial plans would facilitate a city-wide focus on crime—identifying its root causes in Harrisburg and attacking the issue on every level.
Key to the effort would be a spirit of collaboration between elected officials, community groups, and residents throughout our community.
One organizer of the new web site commented, “Whether you’re from Midtown, Downtown, Southside, Allison Hill, or Uptown: you are a part of a single community called Harrisburg. An individual or group may not be able to ‘fix’ the city-wide crime issue. But if we connect—and this web site and growing campaign will help us do that—we can make a difference.”
The concerned citizens are in what they call a “discernment phase”—crafting a “Declaration of Interdependence” to be signed by citizens, community groups, and elected officials. This document is a “covenant” between city stakeholders to focus city-wide on lasting, proactive solutions to crime—in contrast to “catch-and-release” policies that even the administration admits are less than ideal.
While the Declaration is crafted and initial “Community Conversation on Crime” events are planned, the group has launched a web site to build a communications network with interested residents and organizations.
www.OneCityOneVoice.com currently contains a simple statement and an e-mail link to get connected. But the site will soon contain online polls to gauge public sentiment, “brainstorming sheets” from last Sunday’s meeting, a draft of the Declaration of Interdependence, an online message board, and more.
Long-term, the site will take shape as the movement takes shape, and will be a staging ground for city-wide collaboration and concrete action.
