There is a new weapon in Southern California to combat crime: bottled water.
Community groups in South Los Angeles have been distributing bottled water to hundreds of people over the past month. Volunteers pass around the free bottles of cold water to folks strolling by the neighborhood; to curious drivers who see the commotion from the road, and to everyone else in between.
The mission is to prevent crimes from happening — all kinds of crimes, from domestic violence, to assaults, to possibly, murder. Organizers of the “Safe and Sober Summer Water Campaign,” believe that by giving someone a nice, icy bottle of water, it could possibly deter a tragedy.
“Our belief is that if we can quench a person’s thirst with a cold bottle of water who would have otherwise bought an alcoholic beverage, we may also divert potential alcohol induced violent behavior,” Cease Fire Committee board member Ben “Taco” Owens told the newspaper, Our Weekly.
In this city of 10 million people, Los Angeles continues to battle with violent and gruesome crimes. Last week, Lily Burk, a bright 17-year-old girl from Los Feliz who was running an errant for her mom in the Mid-Wilshire area, was brutally killed by a man authorities believe was consuming alcohol (he also had a long list of previous crimes). Lily’s car was found near Skid Row — Los Angeles’ homeless central.
The tragedy has sparked a debate in Los Angeles about homelessness, addiction, alcoholism, and violence. According to the Center for Disease Control 85 percent of all violent crimes are committed by people who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. And, that hot weather can trigger violent behavior.
“We are trying to reach the ones who are perpetuating the shooting and convey a positive message to stop the killing,” Rev. Waymon Baker of New Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist told the Our Weekly. “I’ve presided over too many innocent victims’ funerals that were killed by violent crime-at least 15 or more in the past year. It may seem a small thing to be passing out water and talking to people, but it beats doing nothing, which is the worst thing a person can do.”
The bottled water is one more approach at quenching the sparks of violence that occurs in various pockets of the city. The campaign will continue until the weather cools off in mid-September.
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I appreciate the intentions of these community groups working to defer alcoholism and crime. At the same time however, I think that using bottled water as an attempt to defer violent actions is a short term solution that contributes to another social ill. Not only does bottled water have devastating effects on the environment, but privatization exacerbates issues of water scarcity at a time when we are facing a global water crisis. Check out http://www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org for more information about the harms of the bottled water industry.
I wholeheartedly support efforts to reduce crime, and I don’t think that handing out water is a bad idea. What about refillable coolers and reusable bottles?