A Tale of Two Targets: Limitations of Community Anticrime Actions

Abstract

This article proposes separate variations of the title theme. First, community anticrime activities address two distinct target groups, only one of which is responsive to the modest community-organizing tactics, the legacy of Alinsky organizations. Second, the community is similarly divided into two categories. Community policing tactics are more appropriate to communities at the tipping point than inner-city neighborhoods afflicted with endemic social and economic neglect. The mediocre success of community organizing results from applying inadequate tactics to the two more difficult target groups. New techniques must supplement current strategies for community-based activities to be effective against crime.