I was two years old when the 1977 New York City blackout added the extra burden of climbing 16 flights of stairs onto an already sweltering heat wave. My parents can still recall scenes of looting and mayhem as they were trying to get home from grocery shopping. The power apparently went while we were out. I’m still wondering how I handled the stairs. We also had one of several water emergencies that plagued the city during the late 70s and early 80s.

Crime spiked during both of those events; it’s an unfortunate result of hot weather. You’d think that people would stay indoors and hide out in air conditioning to avoid the heat. Instead, they’re trying to break into businesses and homes, holding up residents throughout the city and turning to more fatal activities due to what all call “boredom”.

A quick scan of Myspace bulletins and other news sites over the last 3-4 days would tell you that the issue is reaching a boiling point among residents and property owners, particularly in areas where people are just joining the urban fabric that is the city center.

In a city as defined by the single-family home as Birmingham is, enforcement of the water emergency may be what’s needed. Now that of course sounds crazy. But it is something to consider.

Every elected official interviewed about the emergency, no matter what city they’re in, says that officers will be responding to complaints instead of purposefully seeking out perpetrators. That being said, if officers are conducting their normal patrols of beats with the added awareness required to spot people watering illegally, they may in fact notice things that are not supposed to be going on that are more in line with what people expect officers to do nowadays.

Part of the problem is that people are quite willing to turn in a neighbor for running the sprinkler on the wrong day of the week yet they are scared to call the police if something more sinister or severe is going on. Perhaps we can take this time to practice how to call when we see someone or something suspicious happening in the future.

Water emergencies tend to make people claim ownership of their city and take control of the situation. If people are concerned about what officers will be responding to, make sure that they’re responding to a necessary call. You can always call 311 and report the water violation and save 911 for things like robberies and muggings.

It also does not make sense for people in the neighborhoods to turn a blind eye to the issue and simply state that it is normal. There are many things that some tend to accept because they’ve "gotten used to it"; no one should ever get used to crime or any other annoyance in their community. No, urban living is not just how they make it look like on television, (meaning don’t expect utopia; it is a city after all), however there are certain things pertaining to quality of life that should be expected and available. That includes not worrying about sitting out on your porch or being able to walk through your own neighborhood with friends. It is still the city though, and some caution should be taken.

The region is facing a problem if they do not begin to curtail water usage, however it may face a larger problem if people bored during the summer heat begin to start using live walking targets for shooting practice. As stewards to our region, we must consider just what must be done to provide us with a proper quality of life. We do elect our officials to take care of many of these problems, but perhaps every once in a while, a water emergency reminds us that we have to do our part to take care of it as well.

Let us know what you think.

André Natta is the managing editor of The Terminal. You can reach him at andre@bhamterminal.com.

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