Comments on: Thoughts on an open approach to crime

By: Sue Johnson

Sue Johnson — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:15:43 +0000

As an (almost) native New Yorker who lived in Cape Town for a few years, I was always struck by how those high walls did nothing to deter crime. In fact, whenever I stayed at friend’s houses that had this kind of security, I felt more alone, more vulnerable. I would always ask about their neighbors and more often than not they didn’t know them. I always thought taking those walls down so people could see and talk to each other would probably make the place a lot safer. But who was going to be the first to take the wall down? What a metaphor for pretty much everything, right?

When fear becomes embedded in architecture it takes a long time to dismantle it. Hout Bay is a great example. I would bet more for the message it gives to the community than for the arrests they could make.

It would be interesting to study the success of neighborhood watch groups in the townships where private security (and police) backup isn’t really an option.

By: Philipp Schmidt

Philipp Schmidt — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:14:29 +0000

Thanks for the link Martin. I really like how Helen writes about community as an answer to her crime problem. I wonder if the bigger problem, the fact that so many citizens feel crime is their best option, will also require a community effort, driven by empathy.

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:29:35 +0000

Here is a story about a (reasonably benign) neigbourhood watch in suburb in Pretoria:

http://www.helenhome.net/2008/11/standing-together.html