Warp and Woof

When Richard gives neighborhood tours he likes to use the term "warp and woof" to describe the thing we are trying to restore to our neighborhood. I (Anna) always think to myself, "Does anyone have any idea what he's talking about?" His favorite metaphor refers to the process of creating fabric: the warp are the lengthwise threads, under and over which the side to side threads—the woof—are woven. It's a great image, though perhaps lost on the average USC freshman.

Tonight is a big night for warp and woof on Normandie, Brighton and Halldale. It's the first official meeting of a new neighborhood association which will serve these blocks. Richard, Jordan and Isaiah spent the weekend passing out fliers and talking with neighbors about their hopes. Everyone they spoke with shares a concern for making our streets safer, and everyone has a unique perspective about how that should look. Some feel passionate about installing speed bumps. Others are wary, citing the potential downside of "slowing down emergency vehicles...or maybe slowing me down." Some perceive this group as a fresh new endeavor. Other carry memories of the last time a block club was organized here, which ended with some money disappearing and lots of blame cast between former members.

Tonight we will meet with our LAPD representative and begin the process of weaving our households together into a stronger, more resilient fabric. It will no doubt be a colorfully patterned one as well! Please pray for humor, grace, respect and vision to set the tone as we meet tonight at 7:15pm.

Want to know more?
Almost everything we know about warp and woof we learned from Bob Lupton, a community developer in Atlanta. When Jordan was a year old we had the chance to tour three neighborhoods Bob works in and see the impact that neighborhood associations are having. His reflection below paints a picture of what we hope to see happen on our own blocks:

Crime thrives when it is ignored. It springs back with resilience following police sweeps. It is immune to the threat of tougher laws and stiffer jail sentences. But it does not do well under the daily scrutiny of watchful neighbors.

Take Walker Avenue for instance. This two block, forty home street is an oasis of health in the midst of a high-crime area. Children play in safety and mothers push strollers down the street on carefree afternoon walks. Break-in's are rare because neighbors have established an active crime watch. Any stranger who pauses on Walker Avenue is bound to have someone inquire as to his business. What goes on in people's homes also becomes community business. Consequently, unwholesome activity soon comes to light.

Awhile back a neighbor across the street from us started picking up daily doses of illegal drugs on his way home from work. He would split his purchase with a friend a couple doors down. What began as a friendly gesture soon turned into an enterprise. Before long his house had a steady flow of traffic coming and going all hours of the day and night. When the pattern became too obvious to ignore, four adjacent neighbors met to discuss the matter. We elected a representative to go and speak to him on behalf of the community. We said that we were making no accusations, merely sharing our concerns, but that we were unwilling to take the chance of any of our children being cut down in the cross-fire of a transaction gone wrong. No threats were exchanged, but a clear, firm message from caring, watchful neighbors was communicated. The traffic dried up in less than twenty-four hours!

Every criminal (or potential criminal) lives somewhere. Ignore his activity and the house and street where he lives will soon become malignant. All it takes for crime to flourish is for responsible people to look straight ahead when they drive down their street and pull their blinds when they get into their house. And then lobby the government to put more police on the street and build more prisons.

Is it mere coincidence that at the very time we are seized by a national epidemic of violent crime, we are simultaneously experiencing the disappearance of community? It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to establish the causal connection. If we are too busy to get to know our neighbors, too absorbed in individual pursuits to consider the common community good, too involved in church activities to show concern for the well-being of our neighbors, then it should come as no surprise when crime springs up in the very places where we once felt secure.