Friday, May 14, 2004
PART 2: the follow up to my response:
***
I actually forwarded your response to my roommate, colleagues, and several friends -- leading us to "talk amongst ourselves" about the Lower Haight, my initial email, and your response.
Second, I appreciate the time that you put into responding. At the very least, I was impressed at the thoughtfulness of the response and the detail that you went into -- providing specific examples and a general concern in addressing the problem. It's clear that you have done your homework -- especially in comparison to other responses I received (as well as non-responses, which also speak volumes about those individuals as public servants.) My email was certainly not intended as a test to see which candidate could provide the better answer; however, it did provide me with a solid foundation to determine who was serious about serving this district and what approach they would take to addressing problems.
Your response was extremely thought provoking for me.
I composed the email one day after coming home from work (walking through the Haight-Fillmore intersection) and just feeling like the neghborhood is going to, well, shit! (for the lack of a better word) So it was nice to hear someone approach the problem methodically and with great insight, with regards to the various stakeholders involved (police, neighbors, corporate partners, city leaders, police, etc.)
This past weekend's murder on the 400 block of Haight certainly reinforced my comments about the safety of the area -- an issue that you reaffirmed in your response. Now I'm even leary of going to the few Haight Street restaurants (closer to Fillmore) that I had previously not even considered as unsafe.
I want you to know that, since receiving your email, I have visited your website often to read more about who you are and what your plans are if elected to represent the district. I am impressed.
I'm not quite sure how to respond to the suggestions that you provided (I feel like the problem is so much larger than me -- even though "it's all grassroots", I know... I'll admit to being stuck in the frame of mind where I just want someone else to make the problem go away, not fully realizing that I'm either part of the solution OR part of the problem.) I became more engaged in the past Mayoral and DA elections -- attending several community debates and really engaging myself in studying the candidates and the issues. It felt natural for me to take the initiative to find out who was replacing Matt Gonzalez. I guess the Presidential election (and what's at stake) has also forced me to become more proactive -- I feel like we are on the edge of an abyss in this country and fundamental rights are at stake. And all politics are local, right?
I appreciate the opportunity to engage in a dialog. ***
***
I actually forwarded your response to my roommate, colleagues, and several friends -- leading us to "talk amongst ourselves" about the Lower Haight, my initial email, and your response.
Second, I appreciate the time that you put into responding. At the very least, I was impressed at the thoughtfulness of the response and the detail that you went into -- providing specific examples and a general concern in addressing the problem. It's clear that you have done your homework -- especially in comparison to other responses I received (as well as non-responses, which also speak volumes about those individuals as public servants.) My email was certainly not intended as a test to see which candidate could provide the better answer; however, it did provide me with a solid foundation to determine who was serious about serving this district and what approach they would take to addressing problems.
Your response was extremely thought provoking for me.
I composed the email one day after coming home from work (walking through the Haight-Fillmore intersection) and just feeling like the neghborhood is going to, well, shit! (for the lack of a better word) So it was nice to hear someone approach the problem methodically and with great insight, with regards to the various stakeholders involved (police, neighbors, corporate partners, city leaders, police, etc.)
This past weekend's murder on the 400 block of Haight certainly reinforced my comments about the safety of the area -- an issue that you reaffirmed in your response. Now I'm even leary of going to the few Haight Street restaurants (closer to Fillmore) that I had previously not even considered as unsafe.
I want you to know that, since receiving your email, I have visited your website often to read more about who you are and what your plans are if elected to represent the district. I am impressed.
I'm not quite sure how to respond to the suggestions that you provided (I feel like the problem is so much larger than me -- even though "it's all grassroots", I know... I'll admit to being stuck in the frame of mind where I just want someone else to make the problem go away, not fully realizing that I'm either part of the solution OR part of the problem.) I became more engaged in the past Mayoral and DA elections -- attending several community debates and really engaging myself in studying the candidates and the issues. It felt natural for me to take the initiative to find out who was replacing Matt Gonzalez. I guess the Presidential election (and what's at stake) has also forced me to become more proactive -- I feel like we are on the edge of an abyss in this country and fundamental rights are at stake. And all politics are local, right?
I appreciate the opportunity to engage in a dialog. ***
