`kindergarten Stuff' Leads To Grade A Feud At Meeting 
**see For The Record 1/15/98

Bar Scene Stealer: Watching Pittsburgh Lose 
After The Only Pa. Team 
In The Nfl Playoffs Lost, 
Many Area Football Fans 
Shifted Support To Denver And Qb John Elway

Tuesday, January 13, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





The goal is genuine vigilance &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Shamed that he had let down his friends and neighbors, Dave Nesbitt
promised himself that he would improve. His neighborhood had changed for the
worse, so why shouldn't he change for the better? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But it took a jolt to get him going"I used to think that crime was going to
happen anyway," the 53-year-old bus driver said Monday. "So I figured I could
live with it as long as the dealers weren't selling drugs around my house.
Then one day there they were- dealing drugs right in front of my house." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Standing up to the menace posed a scary prospect. Worse, though, was the
thought of lying down. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A man of quiet conscience, Nesbitt refused to turn away while lawlessness
rolled over his Rolling Mill Hill neighborhood in Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I had to do something," Nesbitt said. "I had to get involved." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So he formed the city's newest crime watch group. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last week, about 200 people showed up at St. Patrick's Catholic Church on
Parrish Street for the first meeting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Marines don't do that well around here. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Depending on how you look at it, that's the good news and the bad news. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For that many people in a tiny neighborhood to not only feel the need for a
crime watch but to enlist as well is startling. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So far, this city of about 44,000 boasts 10 such groups. A youth group is
planned for this year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Like other crime watch leaders, Nesbitt is excited by the prospects. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All good citizens have a healthy regard for law and order. And, that's
great- just as long as the citizens don't get carried away. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the crime-fighting business, more isn't always merrier. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Don't forget that it was Wilkes-Barre crime watchers who led the initial
hysterical charge against a group home for recently released mental patients,
people who need community support and protection as much as anybody. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Safety and a sense of community got lost in the frenzy that singled out
vulnerable people and treated them like criminals. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pack mentality of any kind can be dangerous. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Neighbors watching out for neighbors is a wonderful thing. So is the
willingness to get involved by patrolling, reporting crime and testifying in
court against lawbreakers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But sometimes things get out of hand. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When Nesbitt and I talked yesterday, we agreed that a crime watch group is
only as righteous as its members, some of whom can be too quick to draw
conclusions based on their own biases. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Just because a couple of silent young African-Americans wearing Timberlands
and hooded sweatshirts move in and out of an apartment building at all hours
of the night doesn't mean they're crack dealers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maybe they are. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But maybe they're college students from an urban area looking for a future
that doesn't involve being hassled by police or overzealous crime watchers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Likewise, just because a home is well kept and its nice, white inhabitants
seem well-adjusted doesn't mean that they don't drink and drive, snort
cocaine, abuse their children, cheat on their taxes or break any number of
other laws. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Assumptions often create confusion. Guesswork gets us nowhere. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's why genuine vigilance is necessary if crime watch groups expect to
be effective. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 People who want to help other people deserve respect and support. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If necessary, give me an army of men and women walking the streets sporting
crim

The Goal Is Genuine Vigilance 
Shamed That He Had Let Down His Friends And Neighbors, Dave Nesbitt Promised 
Himself That He Would Improve. His Neighborhood Had Changed For The Worse, So 
Why Shouldn't He Change For The Better? 
But It Took A Jolt To Get Him Going.

The Goal Is Genuine Vigilance Shamed That He Had Let Down His Friends And Neighbors, Dave Nesbitt Promised Himself That He Would Improve. His Neighborhood Had Changed For The Worse, So Why Shouldn't He Change For The Better? But It Took A Jolt To Get Him Going.