[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF JAMESETTA J. HARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOBBY L. RUSH

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 21, 1997

  Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to 
recognize an outstanding woman from the city of Chicago and my 
district, and First Congressional District of Illinois. Her name is 
Jamesetta J. Harris, and she has been chosen to receive the Ameritech 
Award of Excellence in Crime Prevention on behalf of the National Crime 
Prevention Council. Ms. Harris is 1 of 8 winners selected from a group 
of 140, who has worked diligently to turn her community around.
  Jamesetta J. Harris held high expectations, as any new homeowner 
would, for her soon-to-be home. She looked forward to a neat, clean 
neighborhood, a yard; a few trees. But Ms. Harris was not expecting the 
reality of life in Englewood. She was not looking forward to the 
rampant crime that plagued the neighborhood, nor the violent gangs that 
ruled the streets. She was not aware that neighbors were afraid to go 
outdoors and cowered in their kitchens at night in fear of stray 
gunfire.
  Rather than abandon her new home, or succumb to the pressure of fear 
that engulfed her community, Ms. Harris decided to fight. Her first 
step was to organize the Concerned Citizens of 5500 South Marshfield 
Block Club, to organize fellow residents and send a message that the 
community would no longer be victimized. She next created the 5500 
South Marshfield Newsletter to improve neighborhood communication and 
reach those neighbors who were afraid to attend meetings.
  Not long after the formation of the block club, the police department 
organized Chicago's Alternative Policing Strategy [CAPS]. The Englewood 
district was chosen as one of the prototypes for the CAPS program and 
Ms. Harris gladly partnered with the police to collaborate efforts to 
reduce crime in Englewood. Ms. Harris continued her fight to save the 
community by organizing neighborhood improvement projects, such as 
repairing sidewalks, replacing stop signs, and collecting abandoned 
cars and garbage.
  Ms. Harris was able to accomplish so much and inspire so many because 
she was wise enough to realize one thing: when people have something 
that they are proud of, they will do anything to protect it. Her work 
has been so successful that she and the Englewood community have been 
featured in a number of programs dealing with community policing, 
including a television special by the Arts and Entertainment network 
that highlighted some of the best policing projects in the United 
States.
  Ms. Harris is an inspiration for all communities, black and white, 
across this Nation. She has truly shown the value of one caring person, 
and how their willingness to work hard can positively affect an entire 
community of people and their quality of life. I commend Ms. Harris for 
her work, and I commend Ameritech and the National Crime Prevention 
Council for recognizing such an extraordinary individual with this 
award.

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