Location and Timing ... Two Simple Concepts that Neither These Would-be Robbers NOR The Lakeside City Alliance Folks Seem to Understand

Is the timing of this announcement intentional or are they joking?  

Okay, first the text:   

Lakeside YES is hosting a community information meeting on Public Safety on Tuesday October 14, at the Holy Cross Catholic Church on Chamblee-Tucker Road, from 7 to 8:30pm.

Please plan to attend this important meeting on public safety and learn why a new city of Lakeside would be able to provide 80 new police officers in our community. You will also learn more about where we are in the cityhood process, have your questions about cityhood answered, and find ways you can get involved.

Each one of us is dedicated to this effort because creating the new City of Lakeside will build a stronger community for the next generation. We need everyone’s help and support if we are to succeed. Please join us and get involved!

Lakeside YES organizing members: Brad Bryant, Liz Hanfelt, Josh Kahn, Mary Kay Woodworth

Next, our reminder:  This sudden concern about safety comes on the heels of their oddly dramatic spreading of the "attempted kidnapping" story a few months ago.  Don't worry, they were not alone, Tucker 2014 and Briarcliff did the exact same thing, of course.

Now the fun:  Here's the picture to go with the comments that follow:

http://www.cbs46.com/story/26673367/waffle-house-robbers-exchange-gunfire-with-dekalb-county-officer

Okay... here we go...

The reasons we love this story and this picture.

1.)  AWESOME RESPONSE TIME!  There is actually a reported response time of "seconds" in this case. Lakeside uses the ol' response time delay for why they needed a police force separate from DeKalb.  Well, let's see if they can beat "seconds" for a response and "minutes" for getting a helicopter in the air!

2.)  CLOSE PROXIMITY TO EVERYTHING!  They couldn't escape the police.  They were everywhere!  This article confirms what we have been trying to remind everyone... the DeKalb County Police Headquarters is located just off Northlake Parkway.  This robbery attempt is quite clearly one that took place in what everyone has been calling "Northlake" and it was clearly thwarted because of the close proximity to the headquarters.  It actually states the pair of criminals were arrested "a couple hundred yards" of the HQ.

3.)  DID YOU SAY TUCKER?  DID ANYONE WONDER WHERE THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT?  The other great thing that this article confirms is that  the media has no problems saying what everyone else wants to walk on egg shells about lately.  Northlake is a part of Tucker!  This example may not be the most cheery or delightful way to stand up and claim your own neighborhood, but the truth comes out in the strangest of ways sometimes.  But, the point remains that this was an incident referred to as being in the Northlake area on Northlake Parkway and it was also clear that everyone still thought they were in Tucker.  That wasn't going to suddenly  change when they crossed I-285.  The only time that TUCKER isn't TUCKER is when it doesn't say TUCKER in the address. Remember the compromise map that LCA and Tucker reportedly approved in the last moments before the session ended last time?  It was a little closer to being correct, but we know LCA or Briarcliff can do better.  Ask yourself  about what is located in these areas now and what they want to build.   We will follow up on this topic in a future blog post.

4.)  EXCELLENT WORK BY 9 - 1 - 1
And we can't fail to point out that the fantastically fast response was md even faster because of the state of the art 911  system that the county has in place.  The call got to 911 without delay and then the dispatcher reached the right person who was able to stop the crime from going any further before anyone was hurt.   That's unlike Dunwoody's "Chat Com" replacement service that simply puts callers on hold while they figure out how to transfer the call right back to DeKalb.

So,  you can attend the public safety meeting by Lakeside, as long as you remember to tell them that you don't really believe crime is getting worse.  That might be true in the new cities where they force  people to live so close to one another.   Maybe it is being reported more readily or we're paying closer attention.  But, we're in good hands with the Central Dekalb AND Tucker precincts nearby AND the Dunwoody incorporation that filled our vacancies with the trained and experienced officers.

If you go to the safety meeting... ask about the police pension fund.  That's far more likely the reason they want to "separate."  And that's a pretty bad deal for the men and women who have protected you all the way up until now, isn't it?  One good thing mentioned at the last subcommittee meeting on city formation was that separating from something should not mean you get to take your share of the assets but walk away from your share of the debt.  Lakeside is simply following the lead of those cities that came before them, but Tucker does not have to.  In fact, Tucker should try everything possible to NOT be like these other areas because our residents are clearly a mix of North and South.

We may be stuck in the middle but it's because we chose to put ourselves here.   And, that's what Sen. Millar and Rep. Jacobs or Rep. Taylor don't get... we don't feel like we are being "left behind" (as Millar called it).  We like where we live.  We do not need for anyone to come here and change things for us.   If a city of Tucker is meant to be, then it will happen.   But, the map that has been drawn and the claims that are being made ... none of it reflects our real community, no matter how much Frank Auman tries to declare his love for our area.  He also curses us out the side of mouth.  He doesn't love Tucker.  He is being paid to do a job.

       THANK YOU DEKALB POLICE / CENTER PRECINCT!   GREAT JOB!