Re: "So Long Tweeko"
A letter in the ER on Sunday 12/23 “So Long Tweeko” caught my attention. It was a nasty little expression of sour grapes by soon to be former Chico resident Mike Dace. I only know of Mike by this one letter and if he is true to his word, he has left Chico for some unnamed greener pasture by now.
In his letter, Mike expresses his extreme disappointment at Chico’s failing to rise to his expectations as a place to “buy a house and raise my family.” He then proceeds to make numerous cruel accusations about our town that seem to reflect a series of bad personal experiences and troubling observations.
What pierced me was how he blamed it all on how “This town’s liberal politics and soft approach to crime have destroyed the future of this town.” As an unapologetic liberal who believes that “liberal politics” has, and will continue to, actually save this town’s future, all I can say is, “ouch!” As far as any alleged “soft approach to crime” goes I couldn’t disagree more. Short of the police state that Mike Dace might choose, one that criminalizes everything outside upper class moralistic culture and rides roughshod over everyone’s Constitutional Rights, I think law enforcement has an imperative to walk a thin line.
Lacking any reference to where he came from or to the place he might call home in the future, the cruelty and bitterness permeating Mike’s letter does not indicate a person who will easily find happiness anywhere. That he has left our town is likely better for everyone involved. Still, in my admittedly prejudiced positive view of Chico and this community, I am saddened that someone would perceive such a negative experience here.
Comments
It's sad to see people leave the area in disgust, but it does make you wonder about the faults they perceived. It's possible that Mr. Dace lived in a bad neighborhood and had a bad experience from that. You could live in a virtual paradise but if your neighbors are scumbags you might never notice that. He may move to a town next to really great neighbors and suddenly view that town as heaven, even if the rest of the town is crap. Such is perception.
Once upon a time I was looking for homes and decided to look at a house for sale in Oroville, mostly because of the affordability. Halfway through the tour I looked out the front window and noticed a man walking up the sidewalk. He was not wearing a shirt, his pants were baggy and filthy, he was covered in tattoos, his head was shaven except for unkempt facial hair. He was scary and had the look of someone who commits crimes and does a lot of hard drugs. Needless to say I quit the tour and didn't look at Oroville again. That may have been very unfair of me, but the image reinforced what I'd already heard through the rumor mill and I had to find a place that I felt was safer for my family. Responsible decisions are rarely fair or tolerant.
While Chico's housing prices are oppressive, the high prices help to keep out some of the scary types. However there's still some neighborhoods left where drugs and welfare go hand in hand and the police are forced to spend a lot of saturday nights patrolling there.
I'm not sure that this is the fault of a liberal city council. I was pleased to see the council vote in favor of the disorderly events ordinance, showing that they are not soft on bad behavior. While they haven't been great at managing the city's money, they have been more conservative when it comes to law enforcement. The homeless downtown and in the cement park are still a problem, but they were there before the liberals too.
I have sometimes wondered though, why do we as citizens have to tolerate the scary types like the one I saw in Oroville? Do we no longer have the courage to throw said types out of town, or at least demand they live up to a better dress code? I understand civil rights and tolerance, but what about our rights to live in a safe town? What about our rights to live free from the intimidation of people who look and dress like violent criminals? Not a call for action so much as food for thought. I'd appreciate hearing other responses.
Dane
Posted by: Dane Langston | January 8, 2008 10:58 AM