Children stopped from pavement chalking

[PeckhamRose]

Agh - have had some PMs from some folk on this site asking more info about the meetings so they might come along.

I am not ticking any boxes on my clipboard, mind.

[Andystar]

I'm surprised no-one has made a comment about "chalking this one up to experience" or something similar

[Lee B]

I don't know about that Andystar, but chalk is cheap when it comes to community affairs.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[lenk]

The Cheese Block are apparently so incensed by this story they have got behind the poor child in question and decided to begin selling materials for everyone to begin marking the pavements in solidarity.

Apparently they're changing their name to 'Chalk and Cheese'

*gets coat*

[Eliza.D]

Going back some 35 years we lived on Pymers Mead, west dulwich. We used to chalk on the pavements of the Estate, drawings, coded messages, hide ans seek games. Things that kids do. Our immediate neighbours came round once with a bucket and suggested that we clean it all off. My mum went into a rage and told them that if they didn't like it they should clean it themselves.

All the house's had the living room on the second floor so that all the living rooms looked onto each neighbours patio. My brother to get them back chalked a huge penis on the patio. No neighbour could look out of their window without seeing it.

The offended neighbours came round to insist that it be removed. My mum refused.

It did rain a few days later and the chalk image vanished.

[Mick Mac]

Eliza.D - Even huge penises disappear eventually.

[JetSetWilly]

Chick Wrote:

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> All PCSO?s do is hassle children, homeless people

> and beggars. I have seen them telling a nine year

> child to cycle on the road or face a twenty pound

> fine. They didn?t know that children under 16 are

> allowed to cycle on the pavement. When I

> challenged them they said ?they often cycle up to

> people and steal their mobile phones and we have

> to nip it in the bud?. I pointed out that if they

> suspected this child of being a phone thief they

> should do something about it. They replied they

> didn?t, so it was a stupid argument. Two of them

> in Manchester last year watched someone drown

> because of ?health and safety?. They are a waste

> of space and money.

nothing to do with "health and safety", they were observing the 1st rule of rescue/resuscitation - risk to rescuers.

[lenk]

Health And Safety: [slang 'elf and safety] - When the law is wrongly applied to a dangerous situation, in which no one is allowed to be injured and die unnecessarily.

[PeckhamRose]

020 7639 8175

This is the number for the Community Wardens covering the Nunhead and Peckham Rye Area.

If the road in question is not in this area, the person answering may be able to tell you the number for the relevant area.

You could phone them up and ask what this nonsense was about stopping kids chalking hopscotch grids and pictures on the pavement.

Or not.

[kford]

So would they tell off those contractors who sprayed 'DO NOT PARK HERE 3/8/08' in white paint all over the Landells Road so they could install speedhumps? I think not.

[Domitianus]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Eliza.D - Even huge penises disappear eventually.

But they always return to the scene of the crime.

[gerritsmith]

lenk Wrote:

> I think you miss the point of them.

>

> In the same way that 'bobbies on the beat' do

> nothing to quell crime, they just make frightened

> voters feel like something is being done - so do

> community officers serve to provide a visible

> reassurance to people who spend their every waking

> hour afraid of being a victim of crime.

>

> So there's little point in them being out at night

> when no-one will see them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Southwark Community Wardens website:

Community wardens

What is our role?

To reduce crime and anti-social behaviour

Community warden schemes provide a highly visible, reassuring presence and can deter crime and anti-social behaviour. We also work closely with the police, reporting crime and suspicious behaviour as it happens. Our partnership with the police is crucial to the success of our schemes.

Most crime and vandalism happen at night and not between 9 and 5

[lenk]

gerritsmith Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Most crime and vandalism happen at night and not

> between 9 and 5

The only words of any substance in all that fluff are "highly visible, reassuring presence"

IE Community wardens are essentially smoke and mirrors and an exercise in voter appeasement - a cheap way of 'being seen to be doing something'