HNA News: Crime Watch: Purse Snatching on Wheeler, Upcoming Night Walks, Clean-Up Park Weds., 5:30 p.m., Sustainability Conference 10/6, etc.

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter*

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In This Newsletter

1. Pre-Party Clean-up of Halcyon Commons: Weds., Sept. 27, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

2. Reminder: Ways to Help with Tenth Anniversary Celebration, Sun., Oct. 1, 1-4 p.m.

3. Crime Watch Report: Purse Snatched Saturday at 1 p.m. on Wheeler Street

4. No Dog Required: Report on Night-Time Safety "Dog" Walks, including upcoming 2:30 a.m. walk, Sunday, Oct. 1

5. Protecting Our Cars from Catalytic Converter Thieves: Ron's Berkeley Muffler to the Rescue

6. Forwarded Message about Bicycle Thefts

7. Ecology Center's Berkeley Sustainability Summit, Friday, Oct. 6, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Please consider helping out in Halcyon Commons Park this coming Wednesday afternoon in preparation for our big party Sunday. If you haven't already signed up to help with the Tenth Anniversary Celebration in other ways, it's not too late. In particular, finger foods and chairs (plastic lawn furniture would be great) are still needed.

And if you want an inspiring way to be "part of the solution" in fighting neighborhood crime, please consider joining the night-time safety walks (no dog required, though dogs are welcome). I went this past Friday night, and it was a fun way to spend time with neighbors while creating a visible presence on our streets at night. The beat cop drove by toward the end of the walk (and as Pamela Dameron reports, continued driving by over the following hour). The walks foster a positive relationship with the police who put their own lives in danger to protect us, and show we're stepping up to the plate to do our part. So thanks to Pamela for setting the idea in motion and to our beat cops who work so hard on our behalf, as well as to District 7 Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who joined us.

-Nancy Carleton, HNA Co-Chair and E-Newsletter Editor

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1. Pre-Party Clean-up of Halcyon Commons: Weds. Sept. 27, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Weeding and Trimming in Halcyon Commons Park (Halcyon Court at Prince St.)

Please join us for a final late-afternoon hour of weeding and trimming in Halcyon Commons to ensure the park is in tip-top shape for our big celebration on Sunday!

Bring weeding and/or trimming tools if you have them (we'll have a few extra available for those who don't).

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2. Reminder: Ways to Help with Tenth Anniversary Celebration, Sun., Oct. 1, 1-4 p.m.

TENTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION of HALCYON COMMONS PARK

Sunday, October 1, 1-4 p.m.

* Block Party in the Park and Halcyon Court (from Prince to Webster)

* Music from Forreal foreals (a Brazilian inspired jazz-rock-reggae band) and other local musicians to be announced

* Festive Light Refreshments courtesy of neighbors and Whole Foods Market

* Brief Program at 2 p.m. on Creation of Halcyon Commons with words from the founding organizers

* Proclamation from the City of Berkeley delivered by Councilmember Kriss Worthington

* Special guests who used to live in the neighborhood and helped with the park

* Fun Activities for Kids organized by Dawn Rubin & Friends

Festive Finger Foods Needed

Please contact John Steere <jsteere@eipassociates.com> if you would be able to contribute a platter of finger foods (hors d'ouevres, snacks, or dessert items) to make the day special.

Logistical Supplies Needed

Please contact Kate Day <katherin.day@sbcglobal.net> (with cc to John Steere <jsteere@eipassociates.com>)  if you can loan us some tables, chairs (we need about 60, so we'll most likely need chairs from several sources), or a speaker's podium for the day of the event.

Set-Up and Clean-Up Crews Needed

(Event itself is from 1-4 p.m., Sunday, October 1)

Please contact John Steere <jsteere@eipassociates.com> if you would be able to help set up an hour before the event or clean up the hour after.

Help Organizing Special Activities for Kids

Please contact Dawn Rubin <familyrubin@comcast.net> (with cc to John Steere <jsteere@eipassociates.com>) if you'd like to help plan some fun activities for kids on the day of the event.

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3. Crime Watch Report: Purse Snatched Saturday at 1 p.m. on Wheeler Street

A neighbor on Wheeler Street writes:

"There was just a mugging in front of our house on Wheeler Street between Woolsey and Prince (happened around Saturday, Sept. 23,1:10 p.m.). A woman had her purse taken by a kid who neighbors are describing as about 15 years old, African American, and wearing a white t-shirt. There was another kid on our street who was about the same age;  as my husband was running after the mugger, this kid told my husband that he thought "the mugging was cool." And when my husband asked him why, he said that he'd sic his stepdad on my husband. The police have arrived and are taking a report. Thought the neighborhood should know."

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4. No Dog Required: Report on Night-Time Safety "Dog" Walks, including upcoming 2:30 a.m. walk, Sunday, Oct. 1

Pamela Dameron, organizer of our Night-time Neighborhood Safety "Dog" Walks, writes:

Friday night 12 people, including District 7 Councilmember Kriss Worthington, along with 4 dogs showed up for our impromptu walk, and we had a great time. Thanks to everyone for walking and supporting our neighborhood. Before I went in for the night, which was around midnight, the police rode through 3 more times (I'd talked to our beat cop at the end of the walk, around 11 p.m.). Our dog walks support the police in their efforts to keep our neighborhood safe. The police alone cannot stop all criminal activities; it takes a conscious community effort, which I feel we are strongly working towards.

 

Remember, if you would like to walk in the evening  or any other time, join our list of walkers and then send an email to everyone, with the time, day, and a meeting place, and put Impromptu Dog Walk in the subject of your email.

 

Thank you all, and I hope to see some of you next Sunday morning, very early October 1,  at 2:30 a.m. (this is following late Saturday night, Sept. 30).  We'll meet at Halcyon Commons Park.

Currently listed "Dog" Walks:

* Saturday, Sept. 30, 9 p.m. (meet at Halcyon Commons Park, corner of Prince/Halcyon)

* Sunday, Oct. 1, 2:30 a.m. (very early Sunday morning following Sat. 9/30 night) (meet at Halcyon Commons Park)

* Friday, Oct. 6, 10 p.m. (meet at Chochmat Halev, corner of Prince/Fulton)

* Sunday, Oct. 15, 9 p.m.  (meet at Halcyon Commons Park, corner of Prince/Halcyon)

* Friday, Oct. 20, 10 p.m. (meet at Chochmat Halev, corner of Prince/Fulton)

* Thursday, Oct. 26, 9:30 p.m. (meet at Halcyon Commons Park, corner of Prince/Halcyon)

For more information and to get the schedule for the future (plus to confirm the dates listed here and let us know you're coming; minimum attendance required, especially for the 2:30 a.m. walks), contact Pamela Dameron <usasleigh@sbcglobal.net>. (Remember: No dog required to participate!)

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5. Protecting Our Cars from Catalytic Converter Thieves: Ron's Berkeley Muffler to the Rescue

Two different neighbors sent in word of neighboring business Ron's Mufflers offer to help prevent (and recover from) Catalytic Converter theft:

From "Dog" Walk Organizer Pamela Dameron:

After reading Dawn's email about the theft of catalytic converters, I had mine welded at the muffler shop at Shattuck and 65th; however, it can still be cut off.  Any deterrent is a plus. The shop is replacing catalytic converters at a discounted rate for victim's of theft.

 

The name of the shop is Ron's & Daughter Abby's Berkeley Muffler

Address: 6432 Shattuck at 65th street.  The entrance is off of 65th street.

Phone 510-655-6833

And from a neighbor on Prince Street:

Help for Toyota Owners

 

Ron's Berkeley Muffler, located just around the corner at 6432 Shattuck Avenue (655-MUFF) will weld your catalytic converter on, for FREE!  And if your catalytic converter has been stolen, they will, as a community service, install a new one, for a discounted price of $200.  I took my truck in yesterday; they were helpful, courteous, and welded my catalytic converter in 10 minutes. They are a terrific community resource. Plus they are a family-owned business.

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6. Forwarded Message about Bicycle Thefts

A Halcyon Court neighbor passes on this cautionary tale from a bike list he receives messages from:

"I wanted to pass the word along that there is an individual or group following cyclists home and stealing their bikes.  I live in Piedmont near the intersection of Park Blvd. and Trestle Glen and typically come home from rides through Montclair and down Park. The thief broke into my rolling metal door garage in broad daylight (~ 2 p.m.) while I was home on Saturday September 16th and made off with all the items below. I had just returned from a ride so given the bold time that the crime was committed, I can only assume that I was followed home. The Piedmont Police indicated that there has been a rash of these burglaries recently targeting bikes.

"I also wanted to pass along the advice that if bikes are stored in garages [or sheds], they should always be locked down to deter theft if the garage door is compromised. Apparently garage doors are trivial to break into for experienced thieves. All they do is hook the emergency release cord from outside the garage, either by breaking a garage window panel and reaching through or hooking it through the top gap of the garage door. This takes about 30 seconds."

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7. Ecology Center's Berkeley Sustainability Summit, Friday, Oct. 6, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Halcyon Court neighbor (and Ecology Center Development Director) Amy Kiser is one of the people organizing the Ecology Center's upcoming Sustainability Summit and sends the following information. (Presenters include HNA Co-Chair and Berkeley Partners for Parks President John Steere, who will be speaking on upcoming projects on the Santa Fe right-of-way.)

Come join us at the first annual Berkeley Sustainability Summit!

Friday, October 6, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Krutch Theater

The summit includes an invigorating combination of short presentations on Berkeley-focused sustainability projects, structured networking, and a delicious lunch featuring regionally-grown organic produce. It is a chance for professionals, activists, and interested parties to:

• Get exposed to the wide range of local sustainability endeavors currently underway in Berkeley,
• Share your work with a broad cross-section of Berkeley leaders working on companion issues,
• Develop strategic relationships and cross-pollinate with other innovators between and among sectors,
• Increase the coordination of diverse efforts that will move Berkeley toward being the most sustainable city in the country, and
• Reinforce a broadly shared civic passion for a vital, sustainable future.

The idea behind the Summit is to have a forum where a person who lives and/or works in Berkeley can get exposed to the very wide range of sustainability projects currently underway in town. The Ecology Center has long served as a hub, and we have noticed that many people don't know what is going on outside of their particular project, circle, or network. It will cover many issues and projects pertinent to residents in our neighborhood, such as the changes in school lunch, city transportation planning, residential energy efficiency programs, sustainability policies, etc.

For more information or to buy tickets, go to http://www.ecologycenter.org/summit or call Carrie at 510-548-2220 x235.

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The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter:  The HNA E-Newsletter forwards occasional crime watch notices as well as announcements about events of interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area of south Berkeley, including community-building potlucks, greening projects, disaster preparedness meetings, and work parties in Halcyon Commons Park. If you're receiving this email, either you signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor may have forwarded it to you. Please note that to prevent spam, HNA always uses bcc and does not share your email address with third parties. If you wish to be removed from this list, please reply to HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton/Halcyon Neighborhood Association <ngc2@mindspring.com>. Please feel free to pass the HNA E-Newsletter on to other neighbors you think might be interested.

HNA Listserve:  If you would like to receive messages (and participate in discussions) on the HNA Listserve, please reply to Halcyon Neighborhood Association <ngc2@mindspring.com> indicating your interest, and you will receive an invitation to join.

HNA Blog:  If you would like to view previous newsletters online (and comment via a blog format), please visit http://halcyoncourt.blogspot.com/

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