GREETINGS AKT NEIGHBORS AND HAPPY SPRING!

We know it’s been a while since we’ve reached out to you – it’s not you… it’s us!  We have been getting organized and trying to delegate the long list of responsibilities that comes with setting up a group like this, while working closely with the LAPD to determine the AKT’s “Next Steps.”

So… thank you all for your patience with us during our growing phase, but we can assure you we are still going strong.  Our group membership is up to 204 neighbors and city officials – which is amazing.  If you know any residents that have not signed up, please help us spread the word and send them to the website to register – there is definitely strength in numbers and we aim to get as many residents involved as possible!

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE & HOW YOU CAN HELP:

We have a very dedicated group of seven neighbors on the AKT Organizing Committee.  We meet once a month to, collectively, work on:

• continuing to get our group up and running
• managing our website and replying to member emails about concerns in our area
• communicating with the LAPD and working with them to set up our Official Neighborhood Watch Group and Block Captain program / Training (see below)
• applying for a VNC grant to cover costs of the purchase and installation of 50 Neighborhood Watch Signs for our area
• addressing all safety concerns reported in the area and communicating those to the group
• and we usually drink some wine…

We all have other responsibilities (jobs, families, hobbies etc.), so the more people we have helping out, the more successful we will be and the quicker we will see results.  We will be sending out requests on how neighbor’s can be involved, so stay tuned and  let us know if you’re willing and available – we’d love to have more help!

In addition to the time it takes making our group awesome, there are also associated expenses.  Our current expenses include monthly web hosting, materials & printing, food & beverages and chair rentals for meetings.

So if anyone can’t give their time but could contribute financially – that would be great, too – every little bit helps!

REAL TIME ALERTS SYSTEM:

We have noticed an overwhelming amount of emails coming in reporting time-sensitive, crime-related issues, so we are discussing how best to set up an “alerts” system for the group.  We will reach out to everyone and give you the option of either receiving these alerts, or opting out of them.   The goal will be to focus solely on real-time, safety concerns (while we all love our pets and supporting our local events, this will NOT be the place for missing cats or “come check out my band”).  We are still working on the logistics of this, but we do know that it will require a Moderator who will read and evaluate these incoming emails to determine which are immediate safety concerns that should be forwarded to our Alerts Group.

If there is anyone in the group who works from home or works online (i.e. always on email and connected) and who would be interested in volunteering to help out with moderating, please let us know.  

Again, this is a work in progress and more information to come…

BLOCK CAPTAINS:

Thank you to the individuals who volunteered to be Block Captains – we appreciate your willingness to help keep your blocks organized and in the know!  We are having a Block Captain Meeting / Training with the LAPD on Thursday April 30th.  We still need more block captains and there are some streets lacking in both AKT membership and Block Captain volunteers; so we’d love to target those areas.  Many of you have asked what the BC duties involve, so here you go:

We think that the most pressing duties will be:

• Getting all missing neighbors from their block to sign up for the group
• Helping to ensure all contact details for their blocks remain up to date (i.e. making note of people moving out / in, identifying homes under construction and helping to watch for trespassers / squatters in those sites)
• Working with AKT to compile addresses of existing street light or parking sign poles on their blocks for potential Neighborhood Watch Sign Installation
• Helping to get signatures on their block on the petition for Neighborhood Watch Signs
• Sharing duties of attending LAPD quarterly BC meetings and reporting back to the group
• Being the eyes and ears of your block and a main point of communication between the AKT / LAPD and your block
• Helping to set up and monitor the Alert System with the neighbor’s on your block .

If you are interested in being a block captain and haven’t signed up yet – please let us know ASAP.  We will be emailing out a separate invite about the upcoming BC Meeting and Training, so if you think you could help, please email us and then attend  the meeting to learn more.

NEXT LARGE GROUP MEETING:

Our next AKT group meeting will be Wednesday May 20th – details TBD.  If you have any specific ideas, concerns, issues etc that you would like added to the agenda, please let us know.  We aim to keep meetings to an hour and a half max, so it helps to have a plan of attack for what will be discussed.  We understand, as Venice resident, we all have a lot of frustration and concern about the current issues our neighborhood faces – we get it.  Eventually we will get into parking, traffic control, AK development and other concerns we all have, but for now, our focus is crime prevention and safety so we appreciate your patience with us while we start.

We hope to see you all there and THANK YOU again for being involved and working with us to make our neighborhood Safer and Better Connected!

And by the way, A SPECIAL THANKS to Jen Bilik who spearheaded this project and was the driving force behind getting the AKT off the ground – without her hard work, organization, dedication and persistence, none of this would have happened, so a big THANK YOU to Jen… she’s the bomb!

The AKT Organizing Committee