And speaking of 311 and Facebook, we’ve also noticed another disturbing trend: the bullying of people reporting problems. This isn’t being done by elected officials or the police but rather by fellow community members. Several times on our own Facebook page, we have witnessed members report an issue of concern only to have others tell them to shut up, or that the issue is not serious enough to warrant a complaint. Many times, the threads devolve into name-calling – all over something that is supposedly not important to the aggressor. Are these people perhaps guilty themselves of the infraction being reported and that is why they are taking offense? Also, why waste your time responding if you personally believe the issue is not a concern? If we use the logic of these folks, then there’s always going to be a “more important” issue and the only thing worth reporting would be murder! Civic organizations exist to ensure that the quality-of-life of a community and a sense of order are maintained. Belittling someone for seeking help or trying to be a good neighbor is not only dumb, but likely to come back to bite you one day.