Putnam Response

The article that I came across to use for my Putnam response is called "Bowling Alone, Policing Together." It very interestingly nuances Putnam's point in "Bowling Alone" with the example of community policing problems. Putnam pointed out how social capital and civic engagement foster a fundamental trust and sense of optimism for other people. In this article Eric Klinenberg argues that in the Chicago neighborhoods he investigated, the people who in older days would've attended gardening clubs, political events, etc. now become engaged with their communities through police community meetings. At these meetings police and citizens discuss the issues facing the community, but the discussions aren't restricted to issues of crime. Thanks to changes in the way federal funding is funneled to localities put in effect in 1994, the police are now equipped to handle social problems beyond crime.

The program is certainly preferable to no civic engagement at all, but community policing is definitely inferior to more civilian styles of association. The fact that it takes the presence of police to encourage people to come and work together strengthens Putnam's claim about trust and civic engagement. People are still engaged, but the question remains as to whether we can really consider this kind of engagement civic.

I got this article by requesting it from Carleton. So exciting!