Category Archives: City of Rockford
It’s poor judgement and parenting, people…less about race
It’s been a while since I’ve shared my thoughts and concerns about our community – recently, those concerns have been building and I’ve reached a point that I can’t keep quiet any longer.
I’m disturbed by the number of people unwilling to accept responsibility for their, and their offspring’s, actions. Recently, any number of people have been making excuses for why a teen or adult child shouldn’t have received the results their poor choices derived. At what point do we insist that people take responsibility for the havoc and pain they cause? Mourn the outcome, but be accountable and take responsibility for what led to …
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Posted in City of Rockford, Crime, Jobs, Parenting, Poverty, Public safety, Racism, Rockford Police Department, Winnebago County
Tagged Community, Crime, Education, Equity, Kris Kieper, law enforcement, Parenting, race, racism
Opportunity and classism trump race in Rockford’s divide
“Help me understand why in 2012 we are still facing issues with race in Rockford.” Mike Brown asks for clarity in his recent blog; I applaud his candor and desire to better understand his new community. I think this is a question that is not simple to answer, however, and has as more to do with opportunity, classism and education than it does race.
There are predominately more people of color living on the westside and visibly more whites living east. That in and of itself isn’t necessarily bad if that’s where people choose to live. What’s bad is that …
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Posted in City of Rockford, Crime, Economy, Education, Health, Jobs, Parenting, Poverty, Racism, Rockford, Uncategorized
Tagged Community, Community Development, Crime, Education, Equity, Kris Kieper, law enforcement, Parenting, racism
Compstat a valuable resource
The Village of Winnebago has the reputation of being a quiet, crime-free, close knit community with outstanding schools. As a resident of the Village, I also shared the blanket comfort of feeling safe and secure in my “Mayberry” town. As a Village Trustee, I am still quite proud of our schools, the quietness of the town and the way the town pulls together when needed.
Public safety in Winnebago is taken for granted. The Village of Winnebago Police Department is staffed with committed, community driven officers and is led by a police chief who is a life long resident dedicated to …
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A glimmer of a brighter West State Street
I drive down West State Street on a daily basis. The desert our west-side has become is disappointing; what does a mother without a car do at 1:00 a.m. when her baby is screaming with an ear infection and there’s no pharmacy in her general vicinity and no public transportation at that hour?
I understand the financial need to remove some of the street lighting, I don’t like it all, but I do get the financial reasoning. Unfortunately, this decision further compounds the challenges of the west-side of Rockford and makes residents uneasy with the darkened streets.
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Posted in City of Rockford, Economy, Jobs, Poverty, Public safety, Racism
Tagged Community, Community Development, Equity, Kris Kieper, race
The sound bites have collided
Rockford is a town that loves to talk in sound bites; maybe it’s because we have such open access to the media, unlike in a major market like Chicago where you can only hope to have a story or issue covered by a news team. Regardless, many of us have become pretty handy with making sure we assist our reporters by talking about an issue in sound bite form – gotta make it easy for the editing process so your message makes it through!
Sometimes though, your sound bites can collide down the road. I’ve found it interesting to watch …
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Posted in City of Rockford, Crime, Rockford Police Department, Winnebago County
Tagged Crime
