The mayor then sped to police headquarters, where instead of having to repeatedly admonish her audience to be quiet and respectful, she had 230 police officers standing at rapt attention as she walked to the podium. There, she helped hand out pins to members of a violent-crimes task force for last year's 20-year low in murders.
An hour later, Dixon was demanding sunglasses to ward off the glare as she stood on East Baltimore Street to announce a "Park Smart, Leave Your Car Empty" campaign to help prevent auto break-ins.
She stood next to police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III as he brought out pictures his officers took of cars parked downtown.
Inside one was a fishing rod. "This is a quick five bucks to someone," he said, "and in an instant it's sold." He then showed a picture of a TV set in a car's back seat. Then came a picture of a purse on a passenger seat.
The commissioner reminded people to remove loose change, battery chargers, anything that might invite someone to break in - simple advice, he said, no different from what your parents taught you when you got your first license.
He inadvertently hit on the mayor's theme of the day: personal responsibility. Teachers and cops, all public servants, need to provide a safe place for us to learn, live, work and play. But we all have a stake in our community and a duty to help make our city better.
The principal and cop at Augusta Fells Savage did the talking, but it was Dominique who had to stand down from a fight. It's not a bad lesson for us all.
