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NEIGHBORHOOD NEEDS PARTNERSHIP WITH POLICE

In response to Anne Shaver's Oct.  4 letter to the editor -- although I have not attended the meetings on Dialogue on Race, as she has for the past two years, I was in attendance at the recent Citizen Review Board meeting at Douglass Gym.

I, too, was disturbed that Bahama Village residents feel intimidated and believe they are victims of harassment by the police.

I would like to relate an incident that occurred last winter.

We were expecting company -- a friend driving down from out of town.  I did not know that our friend had arrived at our home at 2 a.m.  Our friend did not wish to disturb us at that hour and elected to sleep in his car.  The next morning, he told us that what he heard on the street in front of our house during the early hours was harrowing.  A number of drug transactions were conducted within his hearing.  Not one, not two, but many more.

Both my husband and myself have been approached in our neighborhood with, "Need anything?" I have personally seen drug hand-offs by people on scooters, people on bicycles, people on the street to people in cars.

I have never seen nor heard of any of this open, blatant drug dealing in any other part of our city.

While it personally pained me to hear the experiences of some residents at the CRB hearing, it is also a painful fact of life that Bahama Village is the center of drug activity in Key West.  I've lived here for seven years, and in my experience it has always been that way.  I'm sure it's been going on for more than the seven years of my residency.

In further support, Village Voices, the neighborhood newsletter, quotes Mr.  Donald Carey, "Today, the drug dealers are revered because of the money that they flaunt in the community and their conspicuous consumption."

I do believe that the offended parties are good, decent people who do not want this activity in our neighborhood.

I can't help but wonder what the result would be if, instead of resentment and anger, Key West police officers were told, "Officer, I'm Jane/John Doe, and I'm pleased to meet you.  I want you to know me.  I live here in the neighborhood.  I want to know you, too, and I'll look forward to greeting you when you're on patrol here.  I also want to thank you for your presence, because I know you're trying to provide us protection and to stop the drug activity."

I may be putting too simplistic a spin on a deep-seated problem, but perhaps there needs to be more sensitivity on both sides.

Bahama Village residents need some appreciation of the stresses involved in the daily activity of an officer on patrol in Bahama Village.  The officers obviously need some training in people skills.

Wouldn't it be better if we could work together to eradicate the scourge of drug trafficking that is the basis of this contention.

Suzanne Washburn, Key West