If you have the time, I hope you’ll take a moment to click on the link for this opinion piece that I wrote that appears in today’s Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Main Street youths take uncivil liberties.
It’s about what happened to me and a date recently when we went out for dinner on Main Street in Sarasota. Well, it’s about a lot more than that … .
If you care to share your thoughts with the newspaper and the print reading public in a Letter to the Editor, you can write one online at http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/99999999/MULTIMEDIA/100509925
Or you’re welcome to add a comment below as well. I welcome your thoughts.
Posted on April 4th, 2011Comments RSS Feed
Scott V.
April 4, 2011 at 7:33 pmBone chilling! I’m so sorry that happened. In the short term I would avoid that part of town. Longterm, well, I lived there for years and I simply avoided downtown, the moved away. It takes a lot move than a pretty plate of food for me to compromise my safety, that’s what Lido Key is for.
Let’s be honest, you and your date, and it would take at least two of you shooting back, to have made a somewhat even gun fight that night, is not the answer. We need police on the beat in unprecident numbers. A camera system looking for group mentality. And when you saw them you should have stopped and dialed 911 and not crossed there territory. That whole, I won’t be intimidated feeling can vanish quickly if you cannot adequately defend yourself.
If Sarasota cannot afford to protect their businesses at night then I would not encourage night time activities. It is implausible, almost as much as Sarasota’s Reality Chick ‘smoking fools’ after dinner.
Scott V.
April 4, 2011 at 7:52 pmSorry for the spelling errors. Nothing drives yer point home like some typo’s
Scott V.
April 6, 2011 at 6:43 pmSorry, but I’m not done with this subject. I request a new article by you Ms. Coolidge. But, I’ll call the title. ‘Would you gunfight for your town? Or should you have to?’ You might have better luck editing it if you don’t use your iPhone.
Kelly Blake
April 8, 2011 at 10:29 pmAt that location in particular, I have personally envisioned a well light master planned outdoor economic kiosk driven Sarasota attraction. This area is a challenge area. As an civil engineer, I have a hard time thinking of personal motives, upbringing, and socio-economic politics when thinking of this type of criminal situation. I don’t think of a judicial system or another approach to fix the an individual of bad doing. As horrifying as it is, I question the ordinances, zoning, developmental incentives that should be appropriated to an area with a substantially high criminal traffic scene. Why put such fates on the hopes that individuals will not fail or cause harm. Why not transfer our high expectations to the folks that asked for the job, the very body that governs those individuals.
I envision some of the large municipalities overcoming these with planning. My thoughts start with attractions, kiosks, vendors, lighting, music. I am a sucker for road side attractions!
I have voiced that before as I saunter across the inactive fountain, near the statue of the man golfing in the courtyard of a place that is almost what I want it to be.
Scott V.
April 9, 2011 at 8:35 amKelly, I think I see your point?Maybe they could put in a police station?