North End burglaries

The system does need to be fixed

The letter from Tom Etchey on March 15 verifies what a lot of us have suspected: the system is broken. In spite of the best efforts of law enforcement professionals, the justice system really is a revolving door. How frustrating it must be for the police to have to arrest the same people time after time, because they are let out again and again! I hope everyone who reads his letter will think about it when they vote.

Larry Clemens,

Poulsbo

Peninsula Glen resident speaks

On March 12, I was preparing to walk my son to the playground at the Peninsula Glen Apartments when several police men swarmed my complex wielding shotguns. I decided to stay inside. My 4-year-old son wanted to watch from the window as the events unfolded, proclaiming that it was like watching the show “Cops” on television. He seemed unaffected. For myself it was unnerving.

The sleepy little town of Poulsbo is far from drowsy these days. Our town is no longer immune to the same crimes that a larger city like Bremerton experiences.

The recent burglary ring here in North Kitsap is evidence of this. Watching your backyard fill up with sniper shooters is quite a wake-up call.

The Peninsula Glen Apartments are government subsidized, meaning that your rent is based on your income level. This complex is mostly comprised of low-income families, many with single mothers. There are also some disabled tenants as well. I happen to be a single mother with multiple sclerosis. I do understand that when you get in a low-income situation such as this that there is more of a potential for crime. But the majority of the people here are good citizens trying to make ends meet. There are only a few tenants that ruin it for the rest of us. It is certainly hard to be stigmatized as if we are all over here harboring criminals and dealing drugs. It is pertinent to remember that poverty doesn’t equal criminality.

I would like to make this a safer place to raise my son. It is also important for people to become aware that Poulsbo is evolving from a town into a city.

There will be more problems to come whether you live in low-income housing or not.

Let us support the police department by looking out for our neighbors and reporting suspicious activity. I urge the public to become aware of the growing meth problem in our county as well. It is a major contributing factor to the downfall of our society. The welfare of our community is too precious to ignore.

Marisha Van Diest,

Poulsbo

Hansville

Hansville is

a town divided

I attended the GHAAC meeting on March 11 and it is my observation that some proponents of the speedbumps are assuming that anyone involved with the anti-speedbumps petition is a bad person who is guilty, even if only by association, of any uncivil behavior that has occurred.

They also see any form of opposition to the speedbumps as the root of Hansville’s divided community, and as being “anti-Hansville” in some way.

These people are confusing a vigorous public debate and probing questions from people who want straight answers, with harassment. They were integral to the speedbump installation and need to step up and accept the negative response from the community as well.

People holding these views are also failing to address a critical root cause of the divide, which is that speedbumps went in at all. The county let a small group of volunteer citizens make decisions about public road policy, and the results have been disastrous.

Many, many people are upset about speedbumps for a wide variety of reasons. Whatever their reasons, they are reminded of the issue every time they drive to and from their community. Some of those people have worked together to produce the anti-speedbump petition and present its more than 600 signatures to the county commissioners. This is not uncivil behavior, it is a very civil form of protest.

It is exactly what the RSAC, who created the speedbump project, suggested be done when they were asked how to best voice concerns about the project to the county.

If the speedbump project had been widely advertised and supported by the community as the RSAC, GHAAC, and County Commissioner Steve Bauer seem to think, why are there more than 600 people who have signed the petition demanding their removal?

It is the county commissioners who are ultimately responsible for the divide in Hansville. They need to keep public policy decisions in the hands of professionals. There should certainly be input from the community, but volunteers should not be given the kind of power the RSAC has. Volunteerism brings many great things to Hansville, but the speedbumps are not one of them. When protest over the speedbumps first occurred our County Commissioner Steve Bauer refused to address it. He referred unhappy residents back to the RSAC, attempting to avoid the backlash created by their installation. His avoidance of the issues has only widened the divide.

This divide in Hansville will not heal unless everyone involved, citizens and county commissioners, are willing to listen with an open mind and get past the rhetoric to see the facts. All members of the community need to treat each other with respect, respect the opinions of those they disagree with, and respect each individual’s right to speak their mind on issues of public interest.

Laurie Wiegenstein,

Hansville