Everybody's Doing It

A few days ago, I was on the train headed to work when I heard something that struck a chord within me that has resonated all week. A young girl, about 16 years old, was speaking to her friend about some job or education program that she wished to enroll in. The specifics of the program are unimportant, for what captivated me was the pure excitement in her voice, as if she had finally found the answer she had been searching for. Then, she turned to her friend and said something that would plague my mind all week: "Will you, I mean, you should do it with me." Immediately, questions flooded my mind. "Why must she do it with you?" "If she says no, will you abandon this thing that has given you so much joy already?" "Why can’t you stand alone?" Then I asked myself the real question: For great things, why should anyone stand alone?

Although it is true that one person can make a difference, the concept that there is strength in numbers still applies and the field of crime prevention is no exception. Think of how your fear would be altered if the gangs in your neighborhood consisted of only one or two people. Better yet, think of how your fear would change if your entire community banded together in numbers as great as or greater than those of the gangs that torment you. Crime prevention often begins with an individual, but at its best it is the collective interest and effort of those who wish to do better and make their communities safer.

Perhaps you are wondering how you unify a community or society that often categorizes or separates itself by choice. My answer to that is that most people deserve a bit more credit than they are given. Support for your crime prevention efforts may only be as far away as asking a question. "Will you go with me to this event?" "Will you read these helpful tips?" "Will you speak and offer advice about your experiences?"

Essentially, crime prevention is that cause that we can all join in. And though it is not typically in my nature to climb on a bandwagon, I will certainly follow a crowd that is going in a direction I believe in.