The Take Back Your Neighborhood civic association last week listened to Alycia Larson, “The Geography Lady,” deliver remarks about Christmas traditions around the world.
According to Larson, people in the Philippines begin decorating in September. In Japan, a largely non-Christian country, people eat KFC on Dec. 25 and decorate statues of Colonel Sanders. In China, another mostly non-Christian country, people exchange apples on Dec. 24.
Meanwhile, in Iceland, children on the naughty list receive rotting potatoes in their shoes.
Also at the Dec. 16 meeting, 2nd Police District community relations officer Mark Mroz provided a crime update.
Mroz said an armed man ordered another man on the 1500 block of Unruh Ave. to, “Run your pockets.” The gunman stole $445, but the victim is not cooperating.
In another incident, a gunman stole $54 from a man on the 900 block of Pratt St.
Other crimes included stolen AirPods on the 6600 block of Castor Ave.; $700 stolen on the 6800 block of Kindred St.; residential burglaries on the 800 block of Bridge St. and the 6200 block of Summerdale Ave., with an arrest in that case; and a burglary at a Laundromat, which doubles as a check cashing business, on the 6000 block of Castor Ave.
Take Back Your Neighborhood will meet again on Monday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. at Max Myers Playground, 1601 Hellerman St. ••
