http://www.wcax.com/story/23613783/springfield-residents-join-forces-to-fight-crime
Springfield residents join forces to fight crime Posted: Oct 04, 2013 6:03 PM EDT Updated: Oct 04, 2013 8:07 PM EDT By Adam Sullivan - WCAX SPRINGFIELD, Vt. - It's a slogan in storefront windows all around Springfield. T-shirts have been printed and bracelets have been made. The message is straightforward: "Not in our town." "As a community we have to respond and we have to be that change we want to make. We can't continually expect people to take care of us," said Wendi Germain of the Springfield Justice Center. The community initiative started in response to a huge drug sweep in Springfield earlier this summer. According to law enforcement, an epidemic plagues this town. But citizens are standing up and saying they won't tolerate it. From community watches and telephone chains, to door-to-door house calls looking for volunteers, Germain is helping to organize it. "We are not only going to the nice houses on the street, we are going to every single house on the street," she said. They are asking residents for two hours a week to volunteer however they can, something as simple as planting flowers. There are positive signs-- the Odd Fellows building on Main Street has a new coat of paint, which local officials say, represents the future. "Much of what we are doing is very positive and 'Not in our Town' represents an opportunity to tell ourselves, to tell our children how we feel about drugs and crime in our community," said Carol Lighthall of Springfield on the Move. But recent drugs sweeps are evidence the problem persists and is likely not going away any time soon. "The drug task force has been working on that for six to eight months, so it does take a while to get results. So, be patient because the result will come eventually," Springfield Police Chief Doug Johnston said. But in the meantime, resident are sending a message of their own. And they are putting it out there for all to see. "If you care about where you live, you are so much less likely to hurt the place you live," Germain said. Hundreds turned out for a community forum on the initiative and another is being planned for this month. The premise is simple-- community members defining what will and will not be accepted in their town. Sign In or Sign Up for an account. Comments Be the first to comment
"not in our town to me represents an opportunity for us to tell, umm...., ourselves, to tell our children, umm...., how we feel about drugs and crime in our community."
ReplyDeleteIf this is the level of commitment to ridding Springieldfield of wholesale drug trafficking, we're all doomed. CL, what we are experiencing is exactly what happens when employers with high paying, skilled jobs find it economically unfeasible to locate here.
If you voted for Shumlin, Emmons, Martin, Campbell, McCormack, and Nitka, you're now reaping the direct effect of tax and spend government. No one wants to do business here except the Jersey Boys. Oh, and the judges that put these thugs back on the street are just a bonus to liberal politics.
"Not in Our Town" is a ridiculous campaign. Shirts and bracelets and signs? That should work. I can just picture the meeting where all the white hairs decided that.
ReplyDeleteIt's awful that it focuses even more attention on the bad crap. Everyone involved will be using this to gte more money for cops and rehabs.
Because it would just be horrible to have more cops...
DeleteWhat is telling is to see who co-opted the Not in Our Town campaign and how. Very clever really. Let's face it, one way or another the Springfield economy is doomed to be based on crime , drugs and rehab. The people in power want to keep it that way.
DeleteThere SHOULD be more rehabs and money for them. Many or most drug addicts are not evil, bad people, they are severely troubled. It is an illness. Watch someone go through it and then tell me it's not. It's the dealers, traffickers, and drug pushers you are confusing them with. And FYI "Jean," rehabs are not part of the economy (and we don't have any here anyway), they are part of the hospital system. But you also seem to be lumping rehab in with drugs and crime as a negative thing. What can you possibly see negative about someone taking huge measures to go somewhere to try to change, better themselves, and rid themselves of the crime and the drugs, etc. to reclaim their life, health, and happiness? Yes, there are some people who use rehab in that "revolving door" kind of way, but that shouldn't be cause for condemnation of the whole concept of rehabilitation and the many who go there to work very hard on themselves and the program.
DeleteSpringfield tries to solve everything with catchy slogans and in the end solves nothing. Where's that fancy new logo that Springfield on the Dole rolled out last year? How's that workin'? It's obvious that the braintrust departed the town long ago, leaving it only with brainRUST. A sad story of how a town desperately made a deal with the devil and sold its soul to state and federal government. The observation above about Shumlin, Emmons, Martin, Campbell, McCormack, and Nitka is spot on. The A-List of devil's helpers!
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the WCAX story talks about the Odd Fellows facade paintin as an example of the community coming together to clean itself up. I think the work was done by a crew of prisoners from the Windsor Work Camp. Why wasn't that mentioned?
ReplyDeleteYes, interesting that wasn't mentioned... Because you're 100% completely WRONG about that. That was painted by Springfield High School students years ago. I remember the project and know the people who participated in painting. People on this site need to STOP stating rumors and suspicions as fact. Just because you "think" you heard something somewhere DOES NOT MEAN it is even remotely the truth.
DeleteAll the kumbaya and flowerboxes dont mean a thing to a desperate junkie who funds his/her habit by preying upon others. Vermont's court system needs to stop treating criminal junkies as victims and Vermont needs a "castle doctrine/ stand your ground" style self defense law so that people can more effectively deal with threats against themselves or others.
ReplyDeleteWhat junkie(s) have threatened/preyed on you or anyone you know lately? As someone that's been through this, the only people getting threatened or preyed on ARE the "desperate junkies" or those close to/around them. The ones doing this are the dealers, traffickers, and drug pushers.
ReplyDelete