The full newsletter (with a bit of formatting) is online at http://www.halcyonneighborhood.org

Neighbors, join Halcyon Neighborhood Association’s Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=292160762499!

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News 9/4/12

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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 Editor’s introductory comments express her personal viewpoint.

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Contents

1. HNA’s 20th Anniversary Celebration: Potluck, Bouncy Castle & Live Jazz in the Park, Sunday, 9/16, 4-6 p.m.

2. Weekday Afternoon Work Party in the Park, Thursday, 9/13, 4:30–6 p.m.

3. August Crime-Watch Report

4. Crime Watch: A Chance to Meet With Area 3 Commander, Weds. 9/12, 12 noon

5. Crime Watch: Berkeley Police Department Alert re Robbers Using Craigslist Ads

6. Whole Foods Market News: Community Meeting, Weds. 9/5, 8:30-9 a.m.

7. Volunteer Task: Quarterly Flyer Distributors Needed!

8. Berkeley Election Information

Editor’s Introductory Note:

We had a great National Night Out Against Crime event on August 7! Thanks to all who came — at least 85 people signed our attendance sheet, and there were many kids and dogs too. Having ice cream (and the frozen alternatives) seemed to draw people out — perhaps we'll make an annual tradition of it! It was very heartening to see so many folks out enjoying the park, the food, and one another’s company with the intention of improving neighborhood safety! I want to extend a special thanks to our ice cream makers, Tory Finn and Bruce Wicinas, and our blondie makers, Susan Snyder and Stephen Pitcher, as well as to Jim Hallock at Whole Foods Market for arranging the generous donation of nondairy frozen desserts and the Middle Eastern appetizer trays, and to Donna Hitchens of Whole Foods Market, who joined us for the event. Thanks as well to Alyson Greenlee for picking up the Whole Foods donation, to Susan Snyder for help with setup, to Tory Finn and Mark Foy for help with the cleanup, to our phone call crew and flyer distribution team for helping to spread the word, and to John Steere for serving as MC. We were honored to have Berkeley Chief of Police Michael Meehan with us to answer questions (he again told us that Halcyon is talked about in the department as a model of a well-organized neighborhood, and reaffirmed that we’re respected citywide for our positive, partnership approach). And thanks to neighbor Mel Bolton, we passed the hat and raised $250 for a Deakin Street neighbor whose house suffered damage in a recent fire! Toward the end of the evening, we also had a visit from a fire engine with firefighter crew. All in all, it was great way to begin our celebration of HNA turning twenty!

On September 16, we’ll be continuing the celebration of the 20th anniversary of HNA with a fun party in the park (see item 1). September 1992 marked the formal birth of HNA at a neighborhood meeting, which was a follow-up to a block party held in the summer of 1992, when the idea for creating a park —Halcyon Commons — where there was then a parking lot gained momentum. For our September 16 celebration, we’ve reserved a bouncy castle (thanks to Alyson Greenlee, who spotted a great deal on GroupOn, and to Bruce Wicinas, who’ll be getting it set up), and we hope to see as many kids out in the park as were there for National Night Out. In addition, Prince Street neighbor Rob Lyons and his talented group will be performing live jazz — those who heard them last September were clamoring for an encore! So come on out and enjoy another wonderful gathering in the park.

Yours for a healthy, strong, safe community!

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

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1. HNA’s 20th Anniversary Celebration: Potluck, Bouncy Castle & Live Jazz in the Park, Sunday, 9/16, 4-6 p.m.

20th Anniversary Celebration of Halcyon Neighborhood Association

Community Potluck with LIVE MUSIC from jazz-funk quintet Compared to What*

Date: Sunday, September 16, 4-6 p.m.

Place: Halcyon Commons (Halcyon Court at Prince Street)

* Compared to What is a jazz-funk group including longtime neighbor Rob Lyons (on guitar), Colin Gleason (sax), Pete Muny (bass), and Mike Spinrad (drums), playing original music that is at once urban, tuneful, funky, hip — just like our neighborhood!

** Delicious Mediterranean APPETIZERS and CAKE courtesy of Whole Foods Market!

** BOUNCY CASTLE for Kids!!!

Come out and celebrate our neighborhood association’s 20th anniversary, along with our one-of-a-kind neighborhood!

Please bring a dish to share for 8–10.

Potluck suggestions:

Salad: A-G * Appetizer: H-K * Main Dish: L-T * Dessert: U–Z

(If not obvious, kindly attach a label with ingredients for your dish to alert those with vegetarian and other diets. It’s really helpful if some of you also bring a beverage to share. Children & guests welcome so long as you bring something to share!)

Midway, there will be brief presentations by HNA Steering Committee members and guests, including Councilmember Kriss Worthington (to give a City Proclamation honoring HNA). Please join us!

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2. Weekday Afternoon Work Party in the Park, Thursday, 9/13, 4:30–6 p.m.

Weekday Afternoon Work Party in the Park (and Surrounding Neighborhood)

Meet at Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince), Thursday, Sept. 13, 4:30-6 p.m.

Delicious refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods Market.

* Weeding in Halcyon Commons and nearby landscaped barriers

* Picking up litter from streets in the larger neighborhood

* Graffiti removal in the larger neighborhood (if we have sufficient help)

We want Halcyon Commons to look its best for the 20th Anniversary Celebration of HNA on Sunday, September 16 (see item 1), and not everything got done at the work party in August due to a lower-than-expected turnout. Can you lend a hand for half an hour or so on Thursday, September 13? Treats and good company will reward you!

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3. August Crime-Watch Report

Editor’s note: A reminder to join the HNA Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=292160762499 for breaking crime reports in between E-News editions. If you’re a neighbor who isn’t yet part of this closed Facebook group, you’re missing out! Remember, we rely on neighbors to fill in the details of crimes in our neighborhood, so, in addition to being sure to file a Police report, 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!

HNA Steering Committee member Mikel Delgado submitted the following summary of crimes in or near the neighborhood. Thank you, Mikel!

8/4 Vehicle break in/theft Fulton near Ashby
8/13 Theft/Larceny 3000 block Telegraph
8/16 Commercial Burglary 3000 block Telegraph
Also, on 7/31 and 8/6 cases of Identity theft were reported in the neighborhood, and there were a few instances of disturbing the peace over the past few weeks.

8/19 Assault, Ashby near Adeline
8/20 Commercial Burglary, Shattuck and Prince
8/22 Weapons, Telegraph @ Ashby
8/24 Residential burglary, Wheeler near Prince
8/26 Robbery, Emerson near Adeline

A Wheeler Street neighbor reports:

“We had an intruder in our home on Wheeler St (near Woolsey) in the middle of the night last night (August 24, between 2-3 a.m.). I heard noises and whoever it was took off in the less than a minute before my husband went from our room to the living room to check it out. Since there was no sign of forced entry, we think that the front door was not shut/locked properly. A laptop was stolen and also a grate to the crawl space was taken off (where the wires for direct TV go in). We have reported it to the police.”

A neighbor on Prince Street reported on Facebook:

“Just saw what looked like a drug deal across the street [August 3, 4 p.m.]. Called the police and they’re sending someone around the neighborhood. Two guys leaning into a silver four-door car with a spoiler on the back.”

A Prince Street neighbor reported to the Le Conte Chat list:

“Another catalytic converter was stolen last night off Fulton Street, just below Shattuck. Toyota Tacoma truck. My husband is following the advice of the muffler shop on Shattuck, and he sprays silver paint on our catalytic converter every six months so it looks new and not amenable to being resold, and, ‘knock on wood,’ we’ve been okay for the past ten months (ours was stolen last fall).”


In addition, a neighbor passed on this report from a Tremont neighbor:

“We have had a couple of instances at our house, and one last weekend [presumably Labor Day weekend] specifically, that I wanted to share with neighbors so they are extra aware. Last fall, someone came into our yard (which being in the back part of the house is hard to see into from the street or neighbors’ homes) and took all the screens off the windows, looking for an opportunity for entry. Everything was locked down and our dogs were home (and presumably barking), so intruders left without any damage. Since then, we have been trying to keep the gate door locked whenever we are not home. However, this past weekend, we were away and had our dogs with us. [My husband] did some yardwork on Saturday and didn’t relock the gate, so I think it was later Saturday or Sunday, that someone came into our back yard and tried to pry open our locked bathroom window. This didn’t work, so they then smashed the glass window out and pillaged our house, stealing laptops and an iPod (our only electronic valuables). Our front neighbors must have not been home or aware when it happened, as they didn’t hear anything. Anyhow, the fact that it was forcible entry and not just opportunity entry was a bit unnerving to me, so I wanted to share the incident with neighbors, so that we can all be extra aware and vigilant of this sort of activity/noise in each other’s yard and home spaces. We already filed a report with the police and also called the neighborhood ‘beat’ hotline.”

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4. Crime Watch: A Chance to Meet With Area 3 Commander, Weds. 9/12, noon

Editor’s note: Councilmember Max Anderson’s office passed on this information about an opportunity to meet with the Area 3 Police personnel (this includes the western side of the Halcyon neighborhood):

Coffee with Area 3 Commander Lt. Files!
Lt. Files and Area 3 Coordinator Officer Polizziani will be available for an informal meeting with community members at Crixa Cakes located at 2748 Adeline Street on Wednesday, September 12th 2012 at 12:00 p.m. Come by and say hi. We look forward to seeing you!

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5. Crime Watch: Berkeley Police Department Alert re Robbers Using Craigslist Ads

Police Department: Community Crime Prevention Alert:
Robbers Use Craigslist Ads: Berkeley, CA (August 8, 2012)

The Berkeley Police Department would like to inform the public of a series of armed robberies that have involved victims responding to Craigslist advertisements regarding the sale of vehicles. Since June of 2012, the Berkeley Police Department has received four reports of victims being robbed via gun after responding to a Craigslist advertisement and is working with neighboring agencies on potentially similar crimes. The following robberies have occurred after the victim arrived at a designated meet location.

Date of Occurrence: June 28, 2012, at approximately 9:22 p.m.
3000 block of Wheeler St:
SUSPECTS:
1) Black male, approximately 5’8”, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and
carrying gun.
2) Black or Hispanic male, 6’0”, 210 lbs. and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

Date of Occurrence: July 3, 2012, at approximately 9:20 p.m.
2800 block of Piedmont Ave:
SUSPECTS:
1) Black male, 6’0”, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, and carrying a black handgun gun.
2) Black male, 5’8” and wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt.

Date of Occurrence: July 9, 2012, at approximately 10:45 p.m.
The block of 80 Hillcrest Rd:
SUSPECTS:
1) Black male, 5’10”, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, and carrying a black or silver handgun gun.
2) Hispanic male.

Date of Occurrence: July 31, 2012, at approximately 9:13 p.m.
Hillcrest Rd./Hillcrest Ct.
SUSPECTS:
1) White male, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, and carrying silver handgun
2) Black or Hispanic male, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, and carrying a silver handgun

The Berkeley Police Department would like to remind and encourage community members to employ a few crime prevention measures that may help reduce the risk of becoming a victim.
* Use extra caution when conducting business with unknown individuals or in unfamiliar locations.
* Please keep all electronics and other valuables out of view and secured.
* Do not carry large amounts of cash on your person.
* Be alert to your surroundings and people around you.
* Be aware of locations and situations, which make you more vulnerable to crime such as alleys, doorways, parking lots, stairwells and unfamiliar areas.
* Call BPD to report suspicious persons or activity.
If you are the victim of a robbery, immediately call the police. Be sure to provide the suspect description, direction of flight, any associated vehicles and vehicle license plate number.

BPD is urging anyone who has information about the Craigslist robberies to contact the BPD Investigations Division – Robbery Detail at (510) 981-5742 or the 24-hour BPD Non Emergency number of (510) 981-5900.

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6. Whole Foods Market News: Community Meeting, Weds. 9/5, 8:30-9 a.m.

Editor’s note: News from Whole Foods Market courtesy of Jim Hallock.

Drop-In Progress Meeting

(usually on the first Wednesday of each month)

September 5, 8:30-9:00 a.m.

Whole Foods Market (check in at Customer Service)

These meetings are held at the Community Table at the front of the store, and the purpose is to share our plans for noise abatement, the store remodel project [taking place in 2012], street litter control, and progress on any of the ongoing issues we discuss [with HNA reps and nearby neighbors]. Mel [Store Team Leader] and I will meet, and anyone is welcome to join us. Of course there will be complimentary coffee, tea, and snacks. 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.

Jim Hallock

Community Relations Team Leader

Whole Foods Market Berkeley

3000 Telegraph Ave.

Berkeley, CA 94705

P: 510-649-1333 ext. 260

F: 510-649-1474

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7. Volunteer Task: Quarterly Flyer Distributors Needed!

Four of our regular flyer distributors have moved out of the neighborhood! We are grateful to them for their help while they lived here! We now have four stretches that need regular coverage for quarterly HNA flyers: Ashby Avenue, Emerson, Fulton, and Tremont (or possibly one of the Woolsey stretches). Other blocks occasionally need alternates to fill in for regulars who are out of town or ill. Please email halcyon92@gmail.com if you’d be willing to help cover a stretch on a quarterly basis or to serve as an alternate. Each stretch takes about half an hour four times a year (and Jay Migliaccio, our flyer distributor coordinator, will arrange for backup coverage by an alternate if you’re out of town or otherwise unavailable). There’s one more flyer to go this year (going out next week)! Please let us know if you can help in this way as either a regular or an alternate flyer distributor. The flyer distribution is crucial to reach out to new neighbors (we live in a high turnover neighborhood), to reach people who don’t have Internet (yes, they still exist!), and to remind people of our most important events. This is a simple way to help out in the neighborhood with a minimal commitment of time. Thank you!

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8. Berkeley Election Information

Editor’s note: HNA is a nonpartisan neighborhood group, and we only take positions on citywide or development issues if there is an overwhelming degree of neighborhood consensus (well into the 90 percent and up category, which happens rarely). Though we don’t take positions are issues where there’s a clear divergence of opinions among neighbors, we do encourage neighbors to become informed and make your individual points of view known to decision makers. One of the best ways you can do this is by voting. And for this fall’s election, for the first time there will be ranked-choice voting for the mayoral race in addition to council races (two years ago we experienced the first ranked-choice election for council races). So you can cast your vote for the candidate who most closely matches your vision without worrying about throwing the race to someone you don’t support (you get to rank your top three choices). For more information on local issues, here are some useful links. Happy voting!

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/elections/

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/Elections/2012_Candidate_Profile_Pages.aspx

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/Elections/Election__2012_Ballot_Measure_Page.aspx

http://www.berkeleyside.com/

http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/

http://www.dailycal.org/

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