Neighbors, join Halcyon Neighborhood AssociationÕs Facebook group!

 

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News 9/1/15

 

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Items appearing in the HNA E-News are deemed to be of general interest to neighbors but do not necessarily reflect the views of Halcyon Neighborhood Association (HNA), its Steering Committee, or the Editor. The EditorÕs introductory comments express her personal viewpoint.

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Contents

1. Neighborhood Watch Community Meeting, Weds., Oct. 7, 7-8:30 p.m.

2. Crime Watch Update

3. Halcyon Participation in Earthquake Exercise, Sat., Oct. 17, 9-11 a.m.

4. City of Berkeley Emergency Preparedness News

5. Whole Foods Market News: Next Drop-in Progress Meeting Fri., Oct. 30, 8:15-8:45 a.m.

6. Keeping Trees Alive During the Drought!

 

EditorÕs Introductory Note

 

Another great Ice Cream Social for National Night Out Against Crime last month! Thank you to Tory Finn for organizing, with an assist from Michelle Thelen-Steere, who coordinated setup, and to the setup team and cleanup crew. And a very big thank-you to our homemade ice cream makers, Bruce and Joanna, as well as to Whole Foods Market, for donating an incredibly generous spread of frozen supplements plus cake and appetizers. Councilmember Lori Droste stopped by, as did various city officials and police officers.

 

The Multi-Block Yard Sale in August was also a big success, with 29 households participating. Thanks to HNA Treasurer Susan Hunter for a great organizing effort!

 

While September is a calm month in terms of neighborhood events, October will be another big month, so mark your calendars now, and take care.

 

—Nancy Carleton, HNA Co-Chair and E-News Editor, halcyon92@gmail.com

 

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1. Neighborhood Watch Community Meeting, Weds., Oct. 7, 7-8:30 p.m.

 

Neighborhood Watch Community Meeting

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 7-8:30 p.m.

Chochmat HaLev Social Hall (Prince west of Fulton)

 

Members of the Berkeley Police Department will be present to update us on current crime trends and what we can do to help prevent crime in our neighborhood; our city councilmembers are invited, and there will also be a brief segment on disaster preparedness. Please join us for this important meeting. The meeting will start and end on time. 

 

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2. Crime Watch Update

 

EditorÕs note: Our HNA Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=292160762499 shares breaking crime reports in between E-News editions (your home and email addresses plus phone are required to participate so we can be sure the group is kept safe for neighbors, and we require this information prior to accepting your request). Remember, we rely on neighbors to fill in the details of crimes in our neighborhood, so, in addition to filing a police report (which can now be done online through the City of Berkeley website for some kinds of crimes: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/onlinereport/), please email halcyon92@gmail.com to pass the word on to your neighbors, or share it on our Facebook page, so we can all stay aware and vigilant!

 

Thanks to HNA Steering Committee member Mikel Delgado for assembling this list of crimes (from http://www.crimemapping.com/) in and near our neighborhood (Mikel is now including a broader territory, including incidents outside the boundaries of our neighborhood, in her reports, so take that into account when comparing this with prior reports; indeed, some of these crimes took place just outside HNA boundaries). Thank you, Mikel!

 

Recent crimes in the neighborhood (and a bit beyond)

7/13 car stolen Shattuck & Prince

7/15 car stolen Shattuck & Woolsey

7/16 vehicle break-in Telegraph & Ashby

7/16 vehicle break-in Woolsey & Deakin

7/21 misc. theft Telegraph & Ashby

7/22 felony theft Emerson & Shattuck

7/25 misc. theft Telegraph & Prince

7/29 misc. theft Deakin & Webster

7/29 misc. theft Prince & Shattuck

7/30 misc. theft Shattuck & Ashby

7/31 vehicle break-in Telegraph & Ashby

7/31 burglary Shattuck & Woolsey

8/2 felony theft Emerson & Shattuck

8/2 car stolen Russell and Telegraph

8/3 residential burglary Prince & Wheeler

8/5 residential burglary Emerson & Wheeler

8/8 robbery with firearm (4:30 p.m.) Woolsey & Telegraph

8/9 misc. theft Essex & Shattuck

8/11 car stolen Telegraph & Dowling

8/20 misc theft Ashby & Shattuck

8/25 robbery Telegraph & Ashby (1:30 a.m.)

 

Also note a rash of stolen cars on Alcatraz (7/17, 7/20, 7/22, 7/27), a robbery with a firearm on Alcatraz near Dana on 7/14 (11 p.m.), a robbery on Oregon near Shattuck on 7/30 (1 p.m.), and a robbery near BART on Woolsey & Ellis on 8/20 (1 a.m.)

 

A Prince Street neighbor reported on the theft of packages from Prince near Fulton:

 

ÒJust a heads-up to watch out for deliveries or ask to make sure someone is available to sign for them -- we had two packages stolen from our porch this weekend. Looking through our security footage to see if we can find the culprit.Ó

 

 ÒHi all -- here is [a video of] the person who stole packages from our porch on Prince on Sunday at 3:11 p.m. They took 3 packages and will be sorely disappointed that they got Ninja Turtle birthday presents and an elbow brace.Ó

 

EditorÕs note: A video of the thief can be found at http://www.egannetworks.com/incidents/20150816/theif.mp4

 

ÒOne more: Unfortunately we learned that it was multiple packages and different people. A woman stole a box delivered on Friday. She was with someone driving a silver Jeep. The man on Sunday was in a white 4-door industrial style van. This was another birthday present for my son.Ó

 

EditorÕs note: A video of the thief can be found at http://www.egannetworks.com/incidents/20150814/theif+jeep.mp4

 

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3. Halcyon Participation in Earthquake Exercise, Sat., Oct. 17, 9-11 a.m.

 

EditorÕs note: HNAÕs Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, Susan Snyder, submitted the following announcement about HNAÕs participation in the citywide disaster preparedness exercise on Saturday, October 17. Please lend a hand! For a small investment of time, youÕll be making a big contribution to our level of neighborhood preparedness.

 

Mark your calendars to join HNA neighbors for the Berkeley citywide emergency preparedness exercise! This yearÕs date is Saturday, October 17, 9-11 a.m. WeÕll have training stations and simulations. Volunteers are always appreciated to help make our community safer! Contact Susan Snyder (susan@un-scripted.com) for more information.

 

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4. City of Berkeley Emergency Preparedness News

 

October 2015 is Berkeley Emergency Preparedness Month. You can take simple and affordable steps the whole month, in less than 10 minutes, or for less than $10, to make yourself, your family, and our Berkeley community safer in case of earthquakes, wildfires, and other emergencies.

 

How can you participate in BerkeleyÕs Emergency Prep Month? WeÕll help you launch your CERT month of preparedness activities, events, and your neighborhoodÕs emergency exercise in October. Whether youÕre an individual, a family, a whole neighborhood, business, school, or community organization, come to our September 9meeting to get help on getting the most out of OctoberÕs month of preparedness activities.

 

Agenda for the September Meeting:

1. On October 10, the American Red Cross is partnering with Berkeley CERT to install free smoke alarms in the Heart to Heart neighborhood. WeÕll be recruiting and training volunteer installers and home fire safety educators.

 

2. With specific guides for simple and affordable activities for anyone -- from seniors to renters, pet owners to neighborhoods, singles to families, Berkeley Emergency Preparedness Month Activity Guides & Group Leader Resources are available to help you join in preparedness fun. CERT volunteers will be available to help explain each of the guides and answer your questions.

 

3. Be part of this citywide effort! 

Help get the word out for Preparedness Month.  We have lots of posters and flyers to help you get the word out to everyone in your network or if you can sign up to help volunteer to market to a list of businesses and organizations, we can only do it with your help.

 

Volunteers NEEDED

 

9/12 thru 9/13 Urban Shield: Volunteer role players are needed for EMS Branch Urban Shield emergency response exercises. Volunteers are needed for 12-hour periods. All volunteers contribute to helping our first responders prepare for acts of mass violence with the goal of decreasing loss of life. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2015-urban-shield-ems-branch-tickets-16010035447

 

9/19 Getting Ready Together: This community meeting will prepare neighborhood, business, community, and faith leaders for the Berkeley Citywide Emergency Exercise. Volunteers will help support logistics of the event including set-up, sign-in table staffing, ushering, cleanup. Volunteers needed anytime between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on September 19 at West Berkeley Bowl (920 Heinz Ave.). Email Shawn at pelecon@aol.com to sign up to help.

 

10/10 Red Cross Home Fire Preparedness Campaign: On October 10, the American Red Cross will partner with Berkeley Fire Department and Heart 2 Heart to install smoke alarms in Berkeley homes in a South Berkeley neighborhood. More details to come. Email Khin Chin at kchin@cityofberkeley.info to sign up to help.

 

10/17 Citywide Exercise Debriefing: After the Citywide Emergency Exercise on 10/17, a debrief session will be an opportunity to thank community participants for their efforts in getting themselves, their families and the neighborhoods more prepared for emergencies. The event is sponsored by the City of Berkeley but is volunteer run. Volunteers will help support logistics of the event including set-up, sign-in table staffing, ushering, cleanup. Volunteers needed anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m, on October 17 at West Berkeley Bowl (920 Heinz Ave.). Email Shawn at pelecon@aol.com to sign up to help.

 

10/28 Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Patient Surge Exercise: Alta Bates Campus need volunteers to participate as patients. Having live persons simulate casualties helps us evaluate our capabilities to manage a large influx of patients during disasters. Volunteer patients will experience mass casualty triage and help provide comment as to the patient experience during disasters. The only thing required is a positive attitude. 2450 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley, Wednesday, October 28th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. To volunteer, contact Rick Luna – Safety Department – (510) 869-6734 orLunaR1@SutterHealth.org

 

10/4 or 10/18 or 11/1 – Berkeley Fire Department: The Fire Department is organizing a full scale BART drill which will simulate an emergency in the Berkeley BART tunnel system. This drill will involve a multi-patient component that will test firefighterÕs ability to triage, treat and transport a large number of patients from the incident. The Fire Department is seeking volunteers to act as patients for this exercise.  Volunteers must be available on the day of the exercise from 0400 (a.m.) to 0730 (a.m.). Click here for details and Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XbkH0HdwhuCvcpbAsFffFhj7jpDfH4SSDKzyGmKlmwo/viewform

 

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5. Whole Foods Market News: Next Drop-in Progress Meeting Fri., Oct. 30, 8:15-8:45 a.m.

 

EditorÕs note: News from Whole Foods Market.

 

Whole Foods Market is proud to support the Halcyon Neighborhood Association and has been a part of the Berkeley community for over 25 years. Ruby Beaupre is their new Marketing and Community Relations Team Leader; she is very active with supporting the HNA community events with food donations at the various events and work parties held in the neighborhood. If youÕd like to be added to the neighbor notification list that Ruby Beaupre will be maintaining for the neighborhood-WFM meetings (and to notify neighbors when work is being done at the store), please email her at ruby.beaupre@wholefoods.com.

 

Next Drop-in Progress Meeting, Friday, October 30, 8:15-8:45 a.m.

Whole Foods Market (check in at Customer Service)

This meeting will include information on November and December holiday logistics.

 

These meetings are held at the Community Table at the front of the store, and the purpose is to share our plans for ongoing changes in the store, street litter control, and progress on any of the ongoing issues we discuss [with HNA reps and nearby neighbors]. The Store Team Leader is usually present, and anyone is welcome to join us. Of course there will be complimentary coffee or tea. Our goal is to follow up immediately on any issues that we hear about, and to hear how the store can be a better neighbor.

 

As always, if there are ever any urgent issues, please call the store at 510-649-1333 and ask for the shift manager on duty. We have new shift leaders being trained, so please send an email to the group below so we can follow up appropriately. Always feel free to swing by too, if youÕd like to have a word with us.

Melody.Mestemacher@wholefoods.com

Carlisle.Crumley@wholefoods.com

Ross.Burgstead@wholefoods.com

Jack.Douglas@wholefoods.com

 

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6. Keeping Trees Alive During the Drought!

 

EditorÕs note: A neighbor posted on the Le Conte chat about the importance of keeping our trees watered during the drought.

 

ÒThis year, the drought is claiming the lives of trees. I have seen the pistaches looking very poorly. If you have a street tree in front of your home, please water! A slow drip over several hours is best; a slow drip allows the water to sink in and reach the tree roots. Trees are long-term investments. It has taken the crepe myrtles on Fulton 11 years to reach 15 feet in height.Ó

 

http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_28651182/california-drought-emergency-situation-states-trees

 

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