As comments have closed on the Pars Nova site and Tim Becker felt my response was still worth posting, I submit the following as an addition to the Reflections on Friday musings:
I read this morning’s Recorder editorial with some amusement; point made for me. Either you want to believe stats or (apparently) not. Either you hang with the labels (apparently so) or not. Is a poll about safety put up within a week of a horrific killing valid? What would the poll have said the week before? Is a poll of 74 people out of tens of thousands significant? Is a poll that changes it’s wording mid-stream worthwhile? I put to you that this particular poll only exacerbates feelings of distrust and division. It does nothing to alleviate tensions in our community. As has been indicated in the other comments, it’s time to move beyond labeling and pandering to concrete solutions to problems which may be societally-based and affect communities across the nation.
Do shootings in Aurora indicate that the Metro-Denver community is more unsafe? That they haven’t done enough? Rather than honing in on the community experiencing such loss, the question begs an examination of contemporary family structure, changes in the role that organized religion plays, governmental responsibility, and the influence of mass media and the internet on today’s culture.
I find it odd that the Recorder continues to want to label the city as not doing enough, to tag Amsterdam with murders that, though tragic, really are unrelated and isolated, and insist that there we are only about spin.
Nah, son.
We’ve continually acknowledged that there are problems here, but must counter that we are not the urban nightmare falsely put forth in editorials, radio meanderings, blogs, or coffee shop gossip. The fact is that we are a relatively safe, active, and close-kit community. We respond to our problems thoughtfully and support those in crisis.
Truth is, Charlie, that I am very grateful to you specifically for your continued focus on the good things in our community (thank you for the nod this morning regarding Neighborhood Watch.) My comments about labeling are not solely pointed at you because the negative myth has been pervasive for decades. My goal is to stop this repetitive droning and move on to a message that is more realistic; not lollipops and roses, but welcoming, accessible, affordable, and on our way up.
small city. big heart.
The city, schools, hospital, churches and community organizations have already begun to meld together in a response that is once again immediate and compassionate, a trait that is ALWAYS present in our community during times of great difficulty. Residents and businesses are busily holding fundraisers and surging with support for these families.
That we’ve suffered and share in the grief driven by an egregious crime is not unique to Amsterdam and we will never be entirely free of crime. The reality is that shootings or murder are so rare here that they incite outrage. That’s a good thing. In other nearby communities, these tragedies happen with such regularity that they may go almost unnoticed. That’s the real story of our community and is what is deserving of ink.
Amsterdancin' 
Mayor, I have to agree with all your comments but one. The murders are related in that they were both drug related. To ignore that seems like you are trying to hide a serious problem that we do have here in the city. But the problem of drugs is just not here it is everywhere. It also accounts for the local “robberies” where people are no doubt trying to make money to buy more drugs. It is a vicious circle and I for one do not know how to stop it.
Diane, the incident on Locust Av was drug related, but there has been no official statement regarding motive in the tragic deaths in the Town of Florida. It is precipitous to make that statement.
Again, we all know what the problems are out there. Let’s focus on solutions. I like the idea of a park behind the art center, but the State has approved the first site and it is highly unlikely that it will change now. That’s not to say that we can’t have parks in both areas, and in fact, that’s what had come out of the BOA community forums. There had also been a suggestion that we may try to build a sports complex in the tract of land behind Centro Civico.
The art center building itself is small. Perhaps in the future, we may plan for an addition that would accommodate a greater variety of physical activity for kids, or we could look at one of the large industrial buildings for repurposing. At this point, we should set a vision and work together to make it happen, like my good friend Donna always says. 🙂
At one of the press conferences it was stated that the two missing/deceased boys had sent a message “that they were going to steal some stash”. This may have been on their FB pages or cells, but that is what the state police or APD put out there. It is unfortunate that this has happened. I do thank the GASD for having the forum tonight and hope that there are more positives coming out of this event. I am sorry that more did not show up to take advantage of the forum.
A sports complex behind Centro Civico sounds like a good idea, with green space.