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REGULAR MEETING June 24, 2019
<br /> that is all I was yelling. I was yelling to the NAACP because they have nothing implemented in
<br /> for black on black crime. You haven't organized things for our own people. Don't wait until
<br /> something goes wrong with the Police. That is an issue but there are people in place for that. I'm
<br /> not getting into that, but what are you doing for your own community before you can just step out
<br /> and then come back and attack them to destroy your whole City?
<br /> Anthony Vasoli, 1141 Blaine Avenue, South Bend, IN, stated, I'm a professional soccer referee as
<br /> Councilmember Ferlic can attest to. I'm a pretty good referee and my father was a criminologist
<br /> at Notre Dame. I am well aware of the difficulty of the job that police officers have. I took it upon
<br /> myself to take the Citizens Police Academy last summer. I recommend any citizen to take
<br /> advantage of that. It is a free course and it teaches you what police officers go through and it was
<br /> fantastic. I came away from the course with a lot more information and a better idea of what police
<br /> officers go through. One (1) thing I asked during the class several times was why is the only
<br /> training shoot to kill? I've asked friends that have parents that are police officers, too. Why this
<br /> emphasis? Why not shoot to wound? The answer I got all the time is that the torso is a bigger
<br /> target. In another presentation, they talked about rubber bullets shot from a distance,it's more like
<br /> a rubber ball. He brought up that you aim for the thigh. I haven't been shot or threatened with a
<br /> gun,knock on wood, so far but I imagine if I were shot in the leg, I would double over in pain and
<br /> not be able to discharge my weapon. I don't know if that's the case or not. But let's say there was
<br /> a knife,in this case apparently there was a knife. While I was doing a FATS Training,my situation
<br /> to enter a school and there was someone holding a knife to the students. They told me I didn't
<br /> shoot him soon enough I asked why, and they said, well, he was threatening. I just think a lot of
<br /> officers, and once again I know it's difficult being that in that position, but they have an itchy
<br /> trigger finger. They need to take courses in psychology to get themselves calm. Our training as
<br /> referees is to treat the situation with as little intervention and as little punishment as necessary to
<br /> control the situation. I think a lot of the police officers need to recognize that would be helpful in
<br /> their job, so they are not getting into situations like this. I appreciate you listening and,once again,
<br /> I emphasize to sign up for the Citizens Police Academy. I believe the applications are going out.
<br /> You can contact Ken Garcia. You could really learn a lot. Thank you.
<br /> Viola Sims, 1636 Florence Avenue, South Bend, IN, stated, My problem is with the overgrown
<br /> grass in my community. On our way, we passed about ten (10) lots where the grass is at least five
<br /> (5) or six (6) feet tall, ok? We call Code Enforcement and they tell us they will cut it, but it's a
<br /> process. The residents in Kennedy Park are getting sick of the process when there is grass that is
<br /> ten (10) feet tall by our homes. The kids in our neighborhood cannot walk on the sidewalk. They
<br /> have to walk in the street. If they were caught walking in the street, the officer would stop and tell
<br /> them to get on the sidewalk. Which one (1) of you would want your kid on the sidewalk where
<br /> there is grass ten (10) and five (5) feet tall? My residents call me and asks me to call Code
<br /> Enforcement and the Common Council. Regina is our Council Member and she does an excellent
<br /> job, but we are getting tired of reaching out for help and we aren't getting help. We have our
<br /> environmental person who cuts grass, but Code Enforcement should cut it. We are tired of this,
<br /> ok? My residents call me and ask me to call down there. I called down there, but they look at me
<br /> like I am failing them. Yes, I'm failing them because what they are asking me to do, the City is
<br /> not doing. The City is failing my community. We need action with this tall grass. There is no way
<br /> that grass, in our neighborhood, should be ten(10) feet tall.Not one(1)lot,but two (2) lots. If you
<br /> go through the Kennedy Park area, I'll guarantee you that you can find at least ten(10)lots. Across
<br /> from my house, the grass has not been cut all summer. That lot is six (6) feet tall. I went out there
<br /> and measured with a tape measure. I'm just asking the Common Council. I don't know if the Parks
<br /> Department doesn't have enough man power or mowers,but we need answers. We are getting sick
<br /> and tired of living with what we have to live with. I'm afraid to go outside because I don't know
<br /> when somebody would jump out of the grass. I'm afraid to let my little granddaughter play because
<br /> I don't know what's in the grass. Animals or a body or whatever. So, please, just give us some
<br /> answers.This has been going all summer and we should have answers of why the grass in Kennedy
<br /> Park is ten(10) feet tall. Like I said, it's not just one(1) or two (2)lots,it's a bunch of lots. Please,
<br /> let me serve my community and help me serve my community.
<br /> Sandra Kirish, 1909 Parallel Street, South Bend, IN, stated, We had the Mayor come to our
<br /> Kennedy Park Neighborhood Association meeting and he had told us there were certain streets in
<br /> our area that were going to be paved. Those streets, to this day, have yet to be paved. There are
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