... and hey, it's feeling welcome, too. My office away from the office is The Outlaw Cafe and I had barely sat down before Richard Burris of Hillyard Community Futures came in and said hello. Burris is ready to approach his city council members and the police chief about getting some better neighborhood patrols up here. "What we need is police in plain vehicles and plain clothes," Burris said. "Those who cause trouble can spot a marked police car from a mile away."
A local bar owner stopped in, too, and agreed wholeheartedly with Burris. He also shared that bars are in a tight spot when it comes to keeping the good customers around while running troublemakers off their property.
Conveniently council member Bob Apple, who represents Hillyard together with Amber Waldref, showed up, too. Apple listened carefully and encouraged Burris to contact the COPS Shop and the Neighborhood's resource officer. "It's important to report these things," Apple said.
Burris is going to present a letter at the Hillyard Merchants Committee meeting Wednesday morning, hoping the group will support him and agree to approach city hall.
However, everyone present agreed that a lot of good things are happening in Hillyard and that the neighborhood is doing its best to get rid of a bad reputation and replace it with a much more positive image. Look for upcoming Halloween events and a Girls Day Out coming real soon.

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