Remember the Alamo.

Let's talk about my neighborhood for a minute. Since I want to venture into talking about all things lifestyle and crime related in my 'hood, I think it's only appropriate to describe it, from an insider's point-of-view, first.

My disclaimer here is that I am not an insider insider: I wasn't raised in the Western Addition/Divis/Alamo Square/NOPA neighborhood; I am not a homeowner; I am not raising a family here at the moment; I am not as in touch with the roots of the neighborhood as the majority of the long-term residents are. I am paying rent here, going on 2 years, and slowly taking baby steps towards positively improving my new neighborhood. And when I say baby, I mean infant steps. Witness:

District 5 Porgressive Democratic Club

Earlier this year I participated in the creation of a brand new Democratic Club, aimed at organizing progressive voters in District 5. Though our district has a history of political participation in and outside of the democratic party, I was surprised to learn that it did not have an active Dem club. Why a Dem club? Well, it's a little more efficient than a neighborhood group, if organized right. Additionally, chartered clubs can make recommendations to DCCC, which makes recommendations to the State party. I'd also like to see D5ProgDems pursuing official endorsements as early as next year.