Atomic City Talk

The daily reports that the police department had a tough time with the "fireworks wars" Wednesday night. I didn't get home until late (we went to Kingston for their show, since ours was cancelled), but noticed some people setting off fairly big shells on the baseball field at Big Turtle Park as we were driving home.

Does anyone else think there's a correlation between the cancellation of the municipal display, and the "way worse than last year" situation with private pyrotechnics? Would it be safer if the ordinance were suspended for a few hours on the 4th of July, but with some restrictions -- say, only at the lake, and only between 5 p.m. and midnight?

It seems that the anti-fireworks ordinance probably served to keep most responsible people from participating, but it certainly didn't deter the others, who seemed to simply flaunt their disobedience.

I don't know that I'd say having a municpial display would have any bearing on a bunch of dumbasses shooting fireworks at each other, man. I think these people would have done it anyway.
Getting rough in the ridge.

I just read the article in the dead tree daily about the mass chaos in Scarboro, Wednesday night. http://www.oakridger.com/stories/070607/...7032.shtml
I don't mean to sound too tough on our local constabulary, but give me a break. These guys sound like the Keystone Cops.

How many requests have come from Scarboro residents asking to have cameras installed in the trouble areas of that community? 20? 75? I don't know either, but many good folks in that part of town have asked the city do something to help them identify the troublemakers in their neighborhoods. And how many people did the paper report were identified by having their pictures taken by those cameras? Zip. Not one boys and girls.

At least twice in that article, I read, duh...we told em’ to stop, but they just ranned away. If any cameras had been installed in Scarboro as requested, or for that matter if any one police officer had been carrying a video camera, I would bet serious money that at least some of the punks, endangering the lives of others, would have been identified.

“Next year, it will be a different ball game,” Beams assured. Fat lot of good that did Wednesday night. Thank God, no one was more seriously injured than was reported. One of these days maybe Oak Ridge will find more competent leadership for our police department. Until then...enjoy the show.

But, Daco, he's the police chief of the year!
Yeah, I know what you mean. I'd think a substation down in Scarboro would make a bit of sense, frankly.

Awards don't keep a town safe...evidently.

The above statement is a problem. It has been my experience, and observation through that experience, that those "good folks that have asked" will not volunteer information. In the last murder trial there was problems with witness cooperation. The point is this, that neighborhood is tight and many are relatives through extended families and such. They know who does a lot of this mischief but will not tell who it is because it may be a relative, or they are afraid of that person and his family. It is cultural. They also have a distrust of the
authorities, much like daco.

Thanks Jacket. An excellent point in support of placing cameras in trouble spots, or at least arming the local police with that new fangled battery operated video cameras.

Actually I don't have an inherent distrust of authority. To the contrary. I do however; have a serious distaste for incompetence.

Cameras are fine, however, that goes against that personal responsibility stance you like. If these people know who the folks are that does this, they should cooperate. The problem I hear is the complaint is there with zero cooperation. It goes back to the days of water hoses, and police dogs in the 1960's.

Personal responsibility? You're kidding right? I'm not here to debate the ugly segregationist days of water hoses and police dogs. My argument is not with the lack of personal responsibility exhibited by law breakers. I don't expect much from them. My argument is with the way that the Oak Ridge police department attempted to do their jobs on the evening of the 4th.
If the city had seen fit to heed the advice of Scarboro residents, over the past 3 or 4 years, there might have been cameras in place to catch some of the action. If at least one police officer had been carrying a video camera, then maybe, just maybe one of the scoundrels that fired their fireworks and ran into the crowd would have been caught on tape. (Or on chip)
It is silly and a bit naive to blame poor police work on people that simply don’t trust the police, whatever their reasons.

(BTW, man I have missed these conversations haven’t you brother?)

Hey happy feet dude daco, you missed my point. My point is even the victim's of crime and witnesses (both needed for successful prosecution) are slim in that area. It relates back to those days. Even the law abiding citizens in that neighborhood harber a certain mistrust of authorities.