Letters from June 23, 2007

Safety

Who will protect the citizens?

It’s a fact that the government can’t — won’t guarantee the safety of the citizens.

Does it come as a shock to learn that you and your neighbors bear a large part of the responsibility for your own and your family’s safety?

One group of citizens were aware that they had problems - and on the evening of June 14 a group of them met at West Gate Fire Station to discuss methods for taking back their neighborhood.

Taking it back from roving hooligans associated with apparent drug use and suspect dealing, and garden variety vandalism; as well as general threatening behavior patterns which have parents reluctant to let the children play on the streets at all, and the kids afraid to walk to school.

Present at the meeting were the young principal from Crownhill School, a longtime volunteer with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s office, a Deputy Sheriff, and an astonishing number of concerned citizens.

A Bremerton City Councilman’s wife, after learning of the problems and the meeting  — alerted two candidates for City Council seats — Mr. Eric Younger (District 8) and Mr. Trent England (District 4), who both attended and contributed decisively to the information exchanged.

There were no Sitting Bremerton City Councilmen present; all were at an important multi-day meeting on the East side of the Sound. The apparent unavailability of Bremerton City Council representation  was surprising in that — in a June 7 article in the (newspaper) the Bremerton Council President, Will Maupin was cited as having said  “his own strengths lie in promoting teamwork and fixing the process so it not only works when I’m there, but later when I’m no longer there.” Oops!  Evidently the best laid plans of mice and men ...

Which all just goes to reinforce the central idea of this writing — Citizens must be aware that they are ultimately  responsible for keeping themselves safe. True – governments and their agencies are putatively committed to assist in the chore — when and where they can ... and it is to be sincerely hoped that our various local government components will provide meaningful assistance and problem remediation in this case.    

At least there will be two Candidates for Bremerton City Council on the ballot come election time — who were available and who did respond to the call for neighborhood assistance; and from the feedback — offered practical and constructive ideas and advice to the beleaguered citizens.

GEORGE MILLER

Bremerton

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