Perhaps it can be construed as a thoughtful, neighborly sentiment. But mostly, the citizens in Magnolia tacking up homemade traffic signs onto telephone poles need to find a new way to channel their overbearing do-gooder attitude. The "do not enter" or "one way" signs that have gone up are problematic, not only because they have not been approved by the Seattle Department of Transportation, but also because some of the signs simply are not true. What's even more terrifying is that some of these supposed one-way street violators are receiving notes in their car windows, notifying the drivers of their traffic transgressions. The mysterious hyper-surveillance is further magnified, as the Magnolia Voice reported that one woman found the following note slapped on her car:
NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK CRIME WATCH GROUP Your car has been observed knocking down garbage cans and driving against a one way street and blocking driveways and has been reported to document your actions on this street. It is advised that your behavior has been noted and observed by this neighborhood group that is against your behavior and actions in the community and that you are now put on notice that we have reported you.
Whether reported to the police or to the "higher-ups" of this traffic/neighborhood safety vigilante group is yet to be seen, but we get the feeling that one would be safer if the police were involved either way...
[Photo by Magnolia Voice]