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<br />~294 I
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<br />9/8/58 '
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<br />,. ' ,. WALKED UP THIS HILL AND THEN DOWN AGAIN, TWO SEPARATE CARS CAME DOWN THIS .~ ml_~_~ --
<br />, HILL BETWEEN 40 AHD 50 MILES PER HOUR. THERE WAS NOT 5 M,NUTES BETWEEN II
<br />jl THEM. 'T WAS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE INCIDENT WHICH PROMPTED ME TO CALL
<br />. ACTING MAYOR SHEARER AT 9:15 PM. SUCH BRIVERS ARE POTENTIAL KILLERS BE-
<br />t CAUSE THEIR SPEED COMBINED .WITH 'TH,E STEEP'NESS O~ THE HILL MAKES I~ IM-
<br />I POS~ I BLE fOR TH~M TO ST~P fOR '. ANY CH I.LD WH I CH MAY' RUN INTO' THE STREET II
<br />I fROM THE FRANCES WILLARD SCHOOL GROUNDS. . j I
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<br />j: ON ONE OCCAS'ION THI5 S'UMMER, WHILE 1 WAS" IN THE BACK YARD O'f'M'Y NEIGHBOR II
<br />, ACROSS THE STREET, HE AND I AND SEVERAL OTHERS PRESENT SAW A CAR COMING' I
<br />; DOWN TH ISH I LL ON SOUTH L I NCO:LN S., TREET' TRAVEL I NG AT' A' VERY H't,GH (RATE Of
<br />I SPEED. .'- WOU'LD ESTIMATE THAT THE SPEED Of THIS'CAR ~AS 50 MILES PER HOUR.
<br />I As TH I S CAR APPROACHED THE I NTERSECT ION Of SOUTH LINCOLN AND WEST 29TH . I
<br />! AVENUE IT MADE AN- EffORT TO STOP f'OR THE STOP SIGN. BECA'USE Of ITS' EX'-' I
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<br />i CESSIVE SPEED IT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. AT EXACTLY THIS MOMENT THERE WERE
<br />I TWO CARS APPROACH I NG THI S I NTERSECT ION fROM THE EAST 'oN WE'ST 29TH' AVENUE.
<br />; UNABLE:' TO '$TOP'~- T~E '~AR' WH-' CH'HAD BtE'N. SPEED'I NG RECKLE'SSL Y DOWN THE HI LL ~ _
<br />! ON LINCOLN STREET PULLED INTO WEST 29TH AVE~UE ON THE WRO~G SIDE Of THE ~
<br />1 STREET8ECAUSE HE DID Nor HAVE' TIME;.NOR R60M, TO ~ROSS IN fRONT O~ THE
<br />APPRO'ACH rNG' CARS AND GET 'NT<{THE' PROPER L'ANE OF' T'RAffl C. I CONSEQUENTLY 'HE
<br />SQUEEZED BETWEEN THE APPROACH ING CARS AND THE' NORTH 'c URB O'F- T'HE~ 'STREET, I
<br />HEADED THE WRONG DIRECTION AND ON THE WRONG SIDE Of THE STREET. THEN WITH I
<br />\' LAUGHTE~. ,THAT WE. COULD' .HEAR' C(.EARL Y/ AL TH. O. UGH WE' WERE' O~E:R -cA', BLOCK' AWAY,
<br />THE OCCUPANTS DROVE,' TH I S 'CAR' ON 'ITS MERRY, RECKLESS WAY-.
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<br />'i THE TRAHIC':VIOlATI:N~WHICH, I' HAVE ~E~C~"BED 'ABOVE D~CUR WIT~ REGULAR ITY. I
<br />II THEY, ~RE NOT SPORADIC. THEY HAV~ O'C'CURRED,DA,! AfTER DAY, WEEK IN 'AND WEEK
<br />OUT, MONTH AfTER MONTH, THROUGHOUT THE PAST~ 'YE'AR" ' , DO 'NOT' ~SK YOU TO
<br />i, TAK~MY WORD f"OR THI S, 1 ASK' Y,OU TO GET OUT' AND' 'CALL UPON THE PEOPLE' WHO
<br />i HAVE SIGNED THE'R' N'AMESTO THE- ACCOMPANy.rNG:l.ETTERAND ASK THEM TO TELL
<br />II YOU ABO'UT THESE 'TRAffIC VIOLATIONS~ THEY WOULo-'WELCOME YOUR .t'NTEREST'-
<br />AND INVESTIGATION.
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<br />j (2) ApPEALS TO THE POLICE DEPARTMeNT:
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<br />I ALL ,Of US IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ANTICIPATED, WHEN 29TH AVENUE WAS BEING PAVED
<br />I: A YEAR AGO, THAT SPEED- WOULD BE INCREASED' BY CARS. TRAVELING' THROUGH THIS 1
<br />.1 AREA. I, fOR ONE', BE:L1EVEDTHAT DRIVERS WOULD ~BE HELD-WITHIN THE. LIMITS Of THE II
<br />I LAW, OR HEL-D ACCOUNTABLE UNDER THE LAW fOR ,FLAGRANT .VIOLATIONS SUCH AS 1 HAVE
<br />t. OUTL I NED ABOVE. . 1 T WA.S -NOT UNT IL EARL Y ~T.H I S PAST- SPR I NG THAT 1 BEGAN CALL I NG
<br />'I THE POL I CE')DEPAiuMENT ,REPORT I NG. TO- THEM. THE NATURE AND .fREQUENC,Y Of". THE V 10LA-
<br />. I TIONS IN'THIS AREA AND ASKING THAT .THEY. AP.PREHEND. AND P.ROSECUTE THE ,OffENDING
<br />I DRIVERS. : THE POL.ICE HAVE ALWAYS 'BEEN MOST COOPERATJ:VE IN LISTENING :TO MY I
<br />! COMPLAINTS...:ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THEY HAVE SENT PATROL, CARS _TO CRUISE THE AREA.
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<br />i HOWEV~R,BECAOSE ~THE VIOLATIONS HAVE CONTINUED, AND BECAUSE ~HEY H.VE, IN fACT,
<br />I BECOME MORE NUMEROUS AND SER I OUS, 1 CALLEO THE CH I E f Of POL I CE EARL Y I N THE
<br />I SUMMER AND EXPr:.A I NED !teND I T IONS TO HI M.. HE LI STENED -TO MYCOMPLA I NTS AND I NO 1-
<br />! CAT ED THAT HE WOUL 0 .T A KE ,STEPS' TO CO RRE C T .T HE : COND I.TI OHS '. HE PROM:I sr 0 THAT A' , I
<br />I RADAR CAR -WOULD BE SENT OUT TO .CHECK THe- SP.EEDI NG. HE ASKED ME TO CALL HIM
<br />: AGAIN IN A MATTER. Of A"fEW WEEKS TO .INFORM HIM:WHETHER OR NOT CONDITIONS HAD
<br />I IMPROVED. -J ....'
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<br />" AFTER SOME WEE-KS 1 -CALLED THE CHIEf Of POLICE AGAIN :TO INfORM' HIM THAT CONDI-
<br />TIONS"HAD NOT fMPROVED. HE .SHOWED CONTINUING. I,NTEREST AND :AGAIN ASSURE'D ME
<br />I THAT HE WOUL'D SEE ~THAT THE' MATTER WAS LOOKED INTO... AGAIN HE..PROMISED TO. SEND
<br />: A RADAR, UN I T I NTO THE AREA TO CHECK THE SPEED ING. A DAY. OR .50 ArTER TH I S CON- . .. -
<br />! VERSATION 'A RADAR ,UNIT APPEARED ON WEST 29TH. AVENUE AT ABOUT, 8:00 AM. ,DURI.NG ~
<br />\. THE PERIOD Of TIME THAT WE WATCHED THIS UNIT :NUMEROUS DRIVERS WERE APPREHENDED.
<br />BUT WE ALSO OBSERVED THAT THE CARS QUICKLY SPOTTED THE RADAR UNIT, :AND THE I
<br />i MAJORITY-Of'THEM 'DROPPED DOWN TO CAUT,IOUS SPEEDS WELL WITHIN THE LEGAL LIM.ITS.
<br />I EVERYTHING WAS QUIET, PEACEfUL, AND SO~VERY, LEGAL., ..1
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<br />1 1 HAVE NOT PER'SONALL Y OBSERVED THE RADAR UNI T ON WEST :29TH AVENUE SINCE i,THAT
<br />, OCCAS I ON. . TH I S IS' NOT. TO SAY 'THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN 'THERE.. I DO NOT ~ KNOW. .
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<br />I IN SPITE OF THE EFfORTS MADE BY:THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ~O CURB THE:VIOLATI~NS
<br />I IN THIS AREA, CONDITIONS HAVE NOT IMPROVED. ~ CONSEQUEWrLy,:01 HAVECALLED.THE
<br />I POLICE DEPARTMENT ON MANY OCCASIONS SINCE 1 LAST TALKED WITH THE CHIEf. ON
<br />EACH OCCASION ',CALLED tHEM BECAUSE Of SOME SPECifiC VIOLATION:OF THE SORT-.
<br />I WHICH I HAVE'DESCRIBED ABOVE. ON THESE~CCASIONS I:HAVE EMP.HASIZED~O THEM
<br />1 HOW MANY VIOLATIO~S OCCUR REGULARLY, .AND,PRESSED THEM.TO,DEVOTE MORE TIME TO
<br />I APPREHENSION Of THE OfFENDERS. THEY HAVE ALWAYS .BEEN COURTEOUS AND_HAVE SHOWN I
<br />INTEREST IN MY COMPLAINTS, EVEN THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES, 1 MUST ADMIT,
<br />I WHEN 1 HAVE BEEN OUT O~ TEMPER.
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<br />! ON SOME Of" THESE OCCASIONS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT:;HAS ASKED IF'd HAD OBTAINED
<br />! THE LICENSE NUMBER Of THE, CAR"COMM ITT I NG THE, V I OLAT ION, OR I f I WAS. ABLE TO
<br />! OBTAIN A"DESCRIPTION Of THE CAR. WHEN 1 HAVE BEEN ABLE TO:DO SO I HAVE GIVEN
<br />I THEM THIS INfORMATION. ,HOWEVER~ fOR THE MOST PART IT IS MOST DIFfICULT:TO
<br />( OBTA' N L' CENSE NUMBERS BECAUSE THE CARS GO, BY SO fAST. ," , e'
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