Building community one scare at a time

It might be warranted, or not. It depends on to whom you speak. But there can be no denying the fact that there have been shootings, stabbings and robberies throughout the years and more than in other areas of the city.

But spend any amount of time in the neighborhood and you will see that those crimes are committed by a handful of people who obviously do not have the best intentions. Look past the newspaper stories and the police blotter items and you will find that the majority of people who live in the neighborhood are good-hearted and well-intentioned.

Some say the neighborhood is scary because of the potential for crime, but one family wants to make it scary — but not in the way you might think.

For the past four years, the McNeil family on Santa Inez Avenue — just a stone’s throw from the King Center — have been putting on quite a show for Halloween.

Jerry McNeil, a deejay and musician who played keyboards with the Whispers and Sheila E., decided to get into the Halloween spirit four years ago by using some of his musical equipment to loop Michael Jackson’s "Thriller” for kids stopping by for candy. And then he came upon a Frankenstein mask.

Well over 6 feet, McNeil makes an imposing Frankenstein and takes a certain pleasure in seeing if he can scare the "punk” teenagers that come by his house. Last year, he said he and his son Maxx and wife Helen had a couple hundred visitors who got a kick out of his interactive Halloween house. Maxx even gets into the act by playing screams in many different octaves on Jerry’s keyboard while "Frankenstein” does his business frightening children of all ages. Jerry also brings out his 1952 Plymouth Cranbrook and places another Frankenstein dummy in the driver’s seat, which proves to be popular with kids wanting to take photos.

Many families have Halloween traditions that vary depending on the neighborhood and their personality but the McNeils enjoy making their house interactive since they believe it creates a sense of community.

"We get a lot of adulation from parents who come by,” Jerry said. "Parents appreciate it. You see them after and they know you. It gives a little peace, a little ease. ... It eases things. People know who we are.”

The McNeils have lived in North Central San Mateo for approximately 12 years and have heard their share about crime in the neighborhood. But through their effort on Halloween and throughout the year, they prove that there is a strong backbone of community involvement and pride in the neighborhood. It is just that effort that is helping the amount of crime go down and the sense of community rise. After all, Halloween might be the only time in which it is OK to ring your neighbor’s door bell and maybe even get to know them.

The McNeil house is at 908 E. Santa Inez Ave. Be scared, be very scared. But for all the right reasons.

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Californians have an interesting choice this Tuesday when it comes to the humane treatment of animals raised for our food consumption. Proposition 2 seeks to require those who raise chickens for their eggs to hold them in cages in which the animals can spread their wings, stand up and turn around. Opponents of the measure believe it will put egg farmers out of business and force the delivery of eggs from Mexico. Proponents claim it is another step toward the more humane treatment of animals — even ones we use for food.

Having spent time on a farm as a child, I have seen pigs and cows get shot and chickens decapitated. While a gruesome sight, it enabled me to appreciate the food on my table. Meat comes from slaughtered animals. I have also seen an egg farm and the close quarters chickens are housed in. It’s not a pretty sight.

Generally, I believe legislating morality is dangerous. One can choose to buy cage-free or free-range eggs if they have a problem with how mass egg farms are run. We will never become a society in which no animal is killed for our food. But we should always take steps toward more humane treatment of animals while they are alive.

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Are we in the midst of an economic crisis? Recession — or worse — is just around the corner, the infamous "they” say. But take a step into any shopping center and there seems to be a different story. There are people driving luxury cars buying lots and lots of clothing. The cost of gas is dropping and grocers are putting pressure on food manufacturers to drop their prices. Interest rates are down so credit might be easier to obtain. Savings accounts may suffer a bit and those with stocks are definitely feeling the effects of Wall Street’s recent dropoff. But anyone with any cash should relish the opportunity to get into the market now.

And with the price of commodities dropping, there may be more money available for market reinvestment — or at least a few gifts around the holidays for loved ones.

Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the San Mateo Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com.