Residents of a co-op in Washington D.C. make a plea to their neighbors to consider the negative implications of transforming their neighborhood into a gated community.
"River Park, the first housing complex to be built...after urban renewal cleared out the land in the 1950s. The co-op consists of two high-rises with a total of 384 apartments and also 134 townhouses, many with barrel roofs. Our apartments and townhouses are distinctive because of their aluminum panels. Many people who moved into the new Southwest...were idealists....A project to provide 'total perimeter fencing' with seven pedestrian and 11 vehicular electronically controlled gates is now under consideration at River Park....A total perimeter fence with 18 gates could suggest that there is a problem and could make the River Park community less desirable and, thus, less 'marketable'....How will people who come to the cooperative only occasionally be screened and admitted? Will there be cameras or guards at each entry point? How will home care workers, contractors (both for the cooperative and individuals), pizza deliverers, cleaners, emergency vehicles, etc., be admitted?"
Thanks to Connie Chung
FULL STORY: Will a Fence Make Us Safer?

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