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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2009)
Page 14 The INDEPENDENT, July 16, 2009 Letters From page 3 of our citizens. I have worked closely for many years with several police departments, and my observation is that we have a very fine department for a smaller community. They have my support, and I encour- age our citizens to also support them. They often go beyond the call of duty to provide a good service to this community. Since we are not perfect, when mistakes happen, we will admit it, correct it, and go on serving you. I hope this helps you to un- derstand what really has taken place to cause such a discus- sion among us. Bob Young City Administrator City of Vernonia Editor's Note: Mr. Graf is 18 years old, not 19. Witnesses at the scene of Mr. Graf's arrest on March 20 have indicated that the shotgun was not found by the police until af- ter the taser episode. Neither the Juvenile Dept. nor the Columbia County court system have any record of Mr. Graf being charged or convicted of assault, disorderly conduct or any drug charges. We could find no record of him being arrested or found guilty of any of these charges. There is an open case against him for assaulting a public safety officer on March 20. Free speech is for all, including dissenters To the Editor: At the city council meeting last night (July 6), Mike Kay made a speech and a very good one at that. Kudos to Mike! He even made me feel bad. However, there are a cou- ple of things that I must clarify. First of all, I’m not bashing them for the wonderful job they did during the flood or at any other time. The job they did and currently do is truly, absolutely wonderful. Second, Mike has seemed to miss my point in what seems to be an avoidance of an explanation. The issue is about abusive big city police tactics, not good guy policing in the community. I thought about Mike’s speech. The question that comes to my mind is: Should the good things these guys have done in the past and also in the present overshadow the bad? If this is so, then it should work both ways. There are a lot of people, who on occasion, do something stupid but are basi- cally good people who have done good things. However, Want to know what happens around here all year? Get The Independent delivered to your home for a year for only $20.00 Call today to start your subscription 503-429-9410 the good things they have done rarely overshadow the bad. Do Vernonians really feel that the fact these guys wear a uniform and carry a badge exempts them from any wrongdoing? It is true that they have been up here at our place a few times, but Mike failed to point out that it was not I who called them and it was not me they were called to inquire about. As a matter of fact, the 20 years that I’ve lived in this community, I have never called for police assistance. I generally handle my own affairs. Mike also point- ed out that in one instance they had to make a report because the teen in question was in- volved in an altercation. The truth of the matter is, the teen in question was literally attacked and beat up by two other teens (who were actually adults). This was typical teenage stuff that occurs practically everywhere. This was an unprovoked as- sault and he sustained sub- stantial injury. He didn’t want to report this to the police. I ex- plained to him that this is how we do things in a civilized soci- ety and finally convinced him to make a report. I guess you might say I was indirectly re- sponsible for calling a cop; but beating someone up is a seri- ous matter. Now the question that Mike fails to answer is: How does a teenager who has no training, and who was recently assault- ed by two teenagers, all of a sudden develop super-human strength and fighting ability to outmaneuver three large men, who each weigh more than 225 lbs., and who are trained in martial arts? Also, it is alleged that the teen was severely in- toxicated. Of course, this is ac- cording to the police. In my ex- perience, I have never run into a severely intoxicated person who couldn’t be outmaneu- vered. It just doesn’t make sense! Someone asked why Mike would want a part time job as police chief when he already has a full time job (of course, last night Mike denied ever wanting this job). Simple expla- nation…the city council created the part time chief’s position. This means the city council can make this position full time whenever they so desire. So, if Mike did decide he wanted to be chief all they would have to do is change it back. I person- ally don’t care one way or the other who the police chief is, but I certainly wouldn’t want a chief who feels brutality is a standard police practice. Selec- tion of a chief is a decision that could impact the whole com- munity. The city council should present these matters to the community before they approve them. The community has a right to comment on matters of this nature before they’re en- acted. All labor agreements, potential hiring of police officers or chiefs, city administrators, hiring of law firms, and all of the particulars associated with these should be made public beforehand. A word for the city council: It seems that Randy has never heard of “freedom of the press.” It appears that he and the other council members have accused The Independent of catering to a few individuals who have some sort of grudge against the VPD. The city council has ac- cused The Independent of printing a series of articles con- taining non-truths about the city council and VPD. The articles recently printed in The Inde- pendent are not, and I say it again “ARE NOT” the opin- ion(s) of The Independent or it’s publishers; these articles are strictly my opinion and the opinions of others who feel the same way. Also, even though they do possess this power it isn’t necessarily the responsi- bility or job of the editor to screen or determine what “Let- ters to the Editor” will be print- ed. This space in The Indepen- dent is graciously provided for public use. Nothing derogatory has even been printed so I’m not sure what Kevin Hudson meant by “crossed the line”. Isn’t our First Amendment Right wonderful? Our founding fathers gave us this gift to voice our grievances and challenge the government through free- dom of the press. Without The Independent, and other news- papers like The Independent, this wouldn’t be possible. I am very grateful to The Indepen- dent. A publication that believes in freedom of the press and our right to voice our opinions and concerns is an exceptionally valuable asset to the communi- Please see page 20