Editor's Note: Communities That Should Care, Don't

By Mike F Leonen

I find Seattle to be courteous and caring. When I cross the street, I feel confident drivers won’t play the chicken game and step on the gas pedal. When I walk around, five minutes won’t pass before someone asks how I am doing.

Around the neighborhood, I once saw a man picking the litter of others while walking his dog. At the city level, voters burdened themselves with a housing levy—thrice, four times if the new levy passes on September 17—so senior residents could find a place they could call home.

That’s happening, and that explains my surprise over the 2002 Communities That Care Survey.

Survey results, released mid-August, say nearly half of Seattle’s public school children feel too few opportunities in the community for positive involvement and recognition. They see the community as disorganized. They say laws and norms favor drug use.

Consequently, as results suggest, more than half nurture favorable attitude toward antisocial behavior.

Compared to national averages, the amount of community protection Seattle children feel is substantially low. The amount of community risk they report is significantly high.

Recently, I received an email from a student inquiring about Seattle’s schools and communities. According to her, Seattle’s famous for its courtesy and care, at least compared to other states she knows. Seattle seems a good place to live in.

Should I tell her about the 2002 Communities That Care Survey? Should I tell her that she’s right about thinking of Seattle as courteous and caring, but only towards adults and seniors? School children, at least according to the survey, seem to be treated differently.

I hope I’m wrong.

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Olchefske says problems as identified in the survey can be eliminated. In November, when schools come out with programs to address these, we’ll know. These programs necessarily call for a concerted, community-wide effort.

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