Last night as I was drifting off to sleep, I thought about how nice it would be if men in every community tried to keep their neighborhood safe for women, children and themselves by walking around and making sure everything was cool. Earlier in the day I’d learned that a casual friend had been assaulted in our neighborhood, right near a school. I imagined the men of the world’s neighborhoods patrolling the area in shifts throughout the day and maybe pairing up after dark. By just walking around and being alert they could keep streets safe and protect friends and loved ones from harm. Since it’s their home, and they’d know the streets, they’d be more aware of sketchy areas or potentially dangerous residents. Then I thought that if people wanted to, they could sign up for this as their job, and get paid by the city. Then realized I had invented the police.