3. Neighbourhood Watch
A neighbourhood watch, also called a crime watch or neighbourhood crime watch, is an organized group of citizens devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within a neighbourhood.
The current American system of neighbourhood watches began developing in the late 1960s as a response to the rape and murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York. People became outraged after reports that a dozen witnesses did nothing to save Genovese or to apprehend her killer. Some locals formed groups to watch over their neighbourhoods and to look out for any suspicious activity in their areas. Shortly thereafter, the National Sheriffs' Association began a concerted effort in 1972 to revitalize the "watch group" effort nationwide.
The neighbourhood watch system gained intense media attention after the February, 2012, fatal shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida by George Zimmerman, an appointed neighbourhood watch coordinator. Zimmerman, who wasn't acting in his neighbourhood watch role at the time of the shooting, claimed self-defence and was tried for second-degree murder and manslaughter before he was acquitted from all charges. His actions on the night of the shooting generated controversy as he exited his vehicle and was carrying a gun, both of which go against neighbourhood watch recommendations. He has also been accused by prosecutors of profiling Martin, and he is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department for possibly committing a racial hate crime. Martin was black and Zimmerman is a mixed-race Hispanic.
Para saber más
Read the following article about neighbourhood watches in the New York Times. It reports that neighborhood watches in the New York City area are growing again after decades of decrease due to lower crime rates. It also says that neighborhood watch groups hava fallen under scrutiny since the shooting of Trayvon Martin. There are over 200 comments. It might be interesting to have a look at some of them.
Objetivos
In The Watch a group suburban dads who form a neighborhood watch group find themselves defending the Earth from an alien invasion.
Neighbourhood Watch is a 2011 play by Alan Ayckbourn.
Bluebell Hill is a nice place to live. The only blight on the landscape is the nearby housing estate and its undesirable inhabitants. When new residents Martin and Hilda band together to form their own neighbourhood watch, their close-knit community begins to unravel as the committee become more threatening than the hoodlums. The group goes out of control and becomes an authoritarian force controlling the lives of the people they are supposed to protect. Alan Ayckbourn's 75th play is a riotous and often scathing examination of the effects of power in the hands of the masses.
Watch this short feature about it.
Reflexión
What's the difference between neighbourhood watches and vigilantes?