is why I now officially hate Queenseyes, Newell Nussbaumer of Buffalo Rising, and his vision of the city. If you are reading this, don't feel too special, I hate a lot of things. I cannot believe he wrote that article applauding the surveillance cameras being put up and down Elmwood. I guess at this point there are three but it surely is a sign that more are to come. I thought they were bad enough on Main Street but Elmwood?What is the next step? A gated community where the suburbanistas use a chips implanted in their arm to get into what used to be an interesting and diverse neighborhood. I don't think our long term freedom is worth attracting more suburban customers to your upscale dining facilities and niche stores. Let them stay on Transit. What is going on with Elmwood? Is the crime really that bad? I doubt it is a terrorist target. The cameras sure make it seem that way. Nothing screams high crime neighborhood more than surveillance cameras on the street.
What exactly triggers a camera watching police officers to take to the street and check out the scene. Maybe a black man talking to a white woman at night time - is that what is next. Maybe two gay guys holding hands that make the suburbanite shoppers uncomfortable. That is the problem. It doesn't prevent any crime, it can't make you any safer, it just makes it easier to catch a perpetrator later and that frankly doesn't help you very much if you are being raped which brings me back to who is getting raped on Elmwood?
Does no one see the disgusting freedom eroding potential of these cameras. Maybe not right now, but times change and laws change and once the cameras are implanted they become acceptable features of the urban landscape. If they ever planted one of these out front of my house I would move out of the city to the country or suburbs where I was not under video surveillance. To make it really scary they should just put up a video screen with giant police eyes looking back the other way.
My question is WWe:DD - what would (e:drew) do - now that you are on the elmwood board what is your feeling on these cameras? Did you guys vote on this or did the police just bring them in. As to what am I going to do. I am going to spend all my lifestyle attributable expendable income elsewhere and boycott shopping on Elmwood while I see how this develops.
I am glad to see most of their commentors disagree with his article. Maybe he only knows how to write positive reviews of everything.
I love this comment from their site.
I counter with ...bring 'em on. The more the better. If we can't have a cop on every block to nab thugs, vandals, litter bugs, etc., then I'll settle for eyes in the skies. If you've ever been to Singapore the place is totally safe and spotless. Like a dream. If you're not doing anything illegal, what's to fear. by UrbanBody of Buffalo Rising
To bad being gay and chewing gum are both illegal in singapore. For that fact I refuse to capitalize their name.
I think the most important comments on their site are these two:
The city has never described any protections on how the cameras are used, or abused. These cameras have incredibly far range and quality. What would prevent someone from aiming the camera into the window of an apartment bedroom? by 300 Miles of Buffalo Rising
We used to live right on elmwood, if there were cameras in light posts outside our bedroom windows they could easily be pointed inside with no problem. Who is to prevent this type of abuse. Is there an auditing committee?
The city is in over their heads and running a half assed operation. They are installing 100+ more cameras and do not even have a staff monitoring the ones that have been in place. I know many with the BPD and was told on the busier nights there are 2 people monitoring all of these cameras- do the math "slow nights" the monitoring room lays empty- waste of money as urbanesque stated "These are a poor substitute for 'feet on the street' police patrols and community policing. " that about sums it up by dbpflo of Buffalo Rising
So no one is even watching them. What is the point then.
I was out of town.
(e:Drew) knew nothing of this until reading this post. This was not an EV decision (as far as I know), and I don't believe that any resident or merchant asked for this.
And for the record, I think surveillance cameras are almost always a bad idea, and they are an especially bad idea on Elmwood.
I also think, however, a boycott is a bad response. Why should the merchants have to pay for the bad decisions of the city? A better response would be a letter to the mayor and/or police department. If that doesn't work, further action should target the cameras and the people behind them, not the neighborhood that has to deal with them.
If, for some reason, the EVA is behind these cameras, than it is a different story, but I really don't think anybody asked for them, and we certainly don't have the authority to put them up on our own.
I think that (e:metalpeter) is right the cameras are there to make us "feel safe" and not to keep us safe. In the U.K. public surveillance cameras are ubiquitous and the punters still commit crimes. All it means is the perp has a bit better chance of getting caught.
Consider this, if mere camera surveillance was enough to deter criminals, banks and convenience stores would never get robbed.
As to the "safest" part of the city, since there is such a camera on Grant between Bird and Garner, does that mean that Elmwood is as unsafe as Grant. Or contrariwise, does it mean that Grant is as safe as Elmwood. The mind boggles.
Our mayor sure is tough on crime. Putting security cameras in the safest part of the city... is he almost up for reelection or something? -.-;
The Camera Issue is much more complex then what the the from Buffalo Rising is talking about. I think there are many issues. First of all there is a lot of crime in our city of Buffalo. I'm not sure how much there is on elmwood really. That being said I think that Cameras Can be helpful to catch drug deals, and beatings and panhandlers and other things. But that being said someone has to watch them at all times and have a line to get cops there if 5 thugs decide to rob some one walking out of a plus or use a baseball bat on people at the pride parade. There are laws in this country that protect our freedom and there needs to be oversite and a monitor of the monitors to make sure they aren't using the cameras to look into a window and watch an "artvoice ad Call girl" or just a cute girl with her boyfriend with out a warrant for survallence. There needs to be someone making sure everyones civil liberties are not infringed on. I think a good place to Have one is in every block from summer all the way downtown, there used to be some shady people around there. My theory on the cameras is not that they are there to spy on us or to keep us safe but they are there to make us feel safe. That being said I think that all the empty properties on elmwood is a reflection of a down trend of the area and this country and that brings concern that more crime will take place on elmwood. That being said I'm sure that there are a lot of places that need the cameras more then Elmwood does like say the Universty Hights district oh and crime around there isn't new, you have all ways had some "eastside thugs" who come in and cause trouble or maybe it is the college kids who are in their neighboorhood and then the kids who get drunk and can't handle there alcohol and get in fights. If the cameras are used correctly they can be a big help as long as they aren't abused, that being said you can't have one on every cornor.
Based on the description, I think there is one of these around the corner from us on Grant. I've seen it blinking blue at night and wondered what the the hell is that. Both (e:leetee) and I concluded that it is some sort of police surveillance device. And, it seems, we are right.