Page 10 of the Minneapolis Police Department’s Crime Prevention Resource Manual states that the best defense against crime is an organized neighborhood. This idea has been guiding the MPD’s crime prevention strategy for many years, as shown by the department’s continuing commitment to recruiting, training and sustaining block clubs and block club leaders. Block clubs are one way, among others, in which neighborhoods become organized. But what exactly do we mean by “organized neighborhood,” or for that matter, by “block club?”
Simply stated, a block club is a group of neighbors who come together periodically to build connections between neighbors, foster community cohesion, and discuss common neighborhood issues or concerns. From a crime prevention perspective, block clubs serve a number of valuable functions. They provide the police department with a means of distributing educational materials and important information to a large number of people. They provide neighbors with an effective and powerful problem solving tool. But they are perhaps most valuable when they strengthen bonds between neighbors, and serve as a means for building trust within communities.
This is vitally important because criminal activity flourishes in those neighborhoods where people live in isolation from one another. Crime takes place in the shadows, out of public view. The spotlight of public scrutiny is a powerful deterrent. Getting to know one’s neighbors and thereby building trust and mutual respect creates an environment in which people are more likely to look out for each other, to recognize suspicious behavior when they see it, and to call the police if something shady is going on.
In many neighborhoods, those bonds between neighbors already exist, and don’t require the structure of a “block club” to get going or be sustained. (Although even in these neighborhoods there are other benefits to having an organized block club.) However, there are some areas in our city where there is little trust and cooperation between neighbors, and these neighborhoods are particularly vulnerable to crime and livability issues. In these neighborhoods, block clubs can be a vital tool in breaking the cycle of isolation, mistrust and crime, but only if they take the time and care to get to know their new neighbors.
A block club is not an exclusive organization. A block club is not one faction of households against another faction. A block club is not a vigilante group. A block club should never be a divisive factor in a neighborhood. Sometimes, when a block club is dealing with a long term crime problem, it can lose sight of its broader purpose and take on some of these characteristics. To allow it to become these things defeats it’s very purpose, and only contributes to mistrust and isolation.
If you are a member of a block club ask yourself if you’re doing all you should to welcome new households into your neighborhood and to get to know your neighbors, both new and old. If not, bring it up at your next block club meeting. Explore ways that you and your neighbors can get together to welcome new families into your neighborhood. Block clubs can be very valuable tools in crime prevention, but only if they’re built on a foundation of mutual trust, respect, and a sincere desire to build a healthy community.