Okay, I have to admit that my enthusiasm for blogging is in the lazy days of summer routine again. Seems some reader(s) are determined to rope me into typing away at the keys though, by posting comments to the last edition about other potential topics.
The latest one is that new game app.
My final word one it: You ought to have to pass an intelligence test to be able to have a smart phone. enough said.
So being as lazy as I am at the moment, how about the occasional not yourselves out post anything you want piece to offer your opinions seek input and just do a bit of a rant (keeping in mind this ain't going to extend to any personal attacks).
Submit what you want, take a shot, and see if you can get past the acceptable threshold.
Otherwise, content yourself with back "issues".
I simply don't seem able to generate any level of heat for any of the "heated" topics going on locally.
The door is wide open for you though.
Stay cool though. The forecast for the next few days is that things will be hot enough.
The Fort is crazy right now because of this APP. Don't try to walk your dog or take a bike ride down the hurricane barrier at night because a friendly police officer will kindly inform you the park is closed. Hurricane barrier is not under the jurisdiction of the Fairhaven Police, they have no legal right to kick anyone off of it, we already went thought this with people fishing off of it at night. Also would it kill the DPW to put a few extra trash barrels out? People are trying to do the right thing, the barrels get overflowing and trash ends up everywhere. I'm not saying there aren't some issues going on here, but from what I've seen and other local town folks I've talked to, the town isn't handling this in the best possible way. Let's face it, it's not going to last past the summer, DPW and Police dept need to step up and handle it professionally. It is a public park, the public has the right to use it. Sure a few bad apples spoil the bunch, but 99%+ of the people there are just trying to play a game, have fun and actually be outside walking around instead of inside staring at a screen, albeit they are staring at a screen outside, but heck at least they are outside. Also with everything going on in this country right now the Police need to take their approach to this situation down a few notches.
ReplyDeleteOK, so I'm out taking a leisurely bike ride this evening, late, figure I'd head over to the Fort to catch a cool ocean breeze. Roll down Green street, take a turn on whatever that little street is, try to make the turn up Fort street to avoid the Pokemon crowd or overzealous Police, and low and behold I am BLINDED by a search light on a police cruiser. Mind you, I'm not headed to the cannons, or the hurricane barrier, just riding my bike making a turn and my night vision is now ruined, glad I didn't wipe out.
ReplyDeleteI realize that this is a strange phenomenon, there are hundreds of out of town people going down there every day, which they have every right to do. I also realize that the town has no idea how to handle this situation.
I live in this town, I pay my taxes, I pay part of your salary if you are a town employee, I don't need to be treated in such a way. If I want to ride my bike at night I do not need to be harassed.
Some of our town leaders need to call a meeting to figure this situation out. I won't name any names, because I know you don't like to name any names, and to be honest I probably don't know all the names that should be called into that meeting.
I know it's summer, I know no one wants to do any extra work, but this is a serious issue in town. Let's get a plan together before something bad happens.
Not emptying trash barrels at the Fort and having a bullying police presence at the Fort at night is not going to solve this issue, it may be short or long term, our fearless leaders need to step up to the plate and come up with some solutions quick, not 15 meetings later.
Little sketchy on the details. How late was late? Exactly where did you make your turn? Perhaps it is just me and the early morning mind fog.
DeleteI ask more for curiosity than need by the way.
I am not even going to touch the "I pay my taxes" entitlement argument.
There is a problem. The police from what you wrote are attempting to deal with the problem. Presence is the number one way to deter vandalism. Making your presence known makes it known there will be a presence.
Don't see how an officer shinning a light on you in that area where there is a problem with vandalism constitutes bullying.
Might be nice if we could provide a radar detector to inform the police of someone's intent
Don't see how that act alone constitutes harassment.
Just what is it the police should be doing?
You have any suggestions for the solution? I am sure everyone would appreciate the formula to resolve the issue.
Its 85 degrees and humid thursday afternoon about 5:30 pm.The gates at the fort beach are being closed for the day.The parking lots are full and cars are up green and fort street.Plenty of rhode island registrations so me thinks beaches are full there..Beautiful southern breezes with fresh air to cool down the patrons ,their dogs,and kids..The average citizen could call the DPW and report overflowing trash,the police always close the gates about 8:pm nightly near the cannons.Guess I will go for a walk around midnite to see if this is really happening ,or it might be a POKEMAN phenomenon .Guess i"ll pick up a xl slurpy from cumbers and cool down for now..
ReplyDeleteI am Dr. Pepper guy myself.
DeleteInteresting Stranded Times article about the Fort. My take on a few comments. Yes breaking a wheel off the small cannon is not a good thing, but the wheel is not original and will not cost $3,000 to fix or replace. Not justifying the vandalism by any means, let's just not blow it out of proportion.
ReplyDeleteSomeone took a crow bar to a concrete wall and demolished 30 feet of it? Haven't been down there to see this, while in fact the wall may have been damaged, I find it hard to believe it was someone with an actual crow bar. Accidents do happen.
Backflipping off the cannons. Everyone has climbed over them for years. If you've ever been up close to one you will notice that probably the only thing that could damage the canon or base would be another canon firing at it, non issue here. People backflipping off and hurting themselves? Well 1 less Pokemon player to cause problems right, isn't that a good thing?
Kid drawing on canons with chalk. OK that's not proper behavior, that's not proper parenting, but again what's the actual damage? Chalk can be wiped or washed off pretty easy. Not saying it's right, just wouldn't file that one under serious vandalism.
Trash overflowing barrels. Well it seems people are trying to do the right thing, there just aren't enough barrels. I'm sure there is other trash scattered around, but seems to be the overflowing that's the problem. Simple solution, put more barrels out. More work for DPW or park Dept, but sorry that's your job.
Most vandalism happening when it's dark after police have left. Hummmm, let me think, drive a cruiser by every once and a while all night. Get out of your cruiser with a flashlight and look around. Fairhaven is usually a pretty quiet town, I'm sure the night duty officers have a little bit of bandwidth they can spend on this issue. Heck let's put an officer there 24/7 until this all dies down. I'm sure they would all scramble for some extra OT. We can put a special article in at next town meeting to pay for the OT. There's an actual legitimate one that I would say yes to no problem. It's a problem, there's a need, pay for it. Not like some other articles that come up and are based on completely unnecessary wants or expenses.
This isn't going to last forever, heck the town could possibly profit from it with some creative thinking. Oh yeah, what was I thinking, this is Fairhaven, creative thinking?
The one positive quote in the article was that he has met some nice interesting people, just getting outside having fun playing a game. Yes there are some problem children, but there always will be. Maybe we can round up all the folks that want to vandalize something and send them over to Green street with some axes and saws. They can cut down all the trees the town has earmarked to be removed on the street and sidewalk reconstruction project. It's a win win for the town and game players. The town gets free tree removal and those certain few players that find the senseless need to destroy beautiful things for no reason will feel satisfied. They will not longer be the bad guys, they will be preforming a vital service for the town, for free! Think of the money saved, it could probably pay for the Police OT details!
See now that's some creative thinking. I'll even let Fairhaven have that one for free without charging an $80,000 consultation fee.
The positive from you piece, actually several things, but let's start with the "This isn't going to last forever." I agree.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I appreciate your efforts in analysis of the overall situation.
Not sure a 24/7 presence is needed but that's a personal opinion. I would agree that if the money were spent, this is something one could certainly see the reasons to argue legitimately for it.
Seems one commentator became a bit upset with an officer shinning some light though.
What bothers me a bit though is the implication that someone it is the police officers and BPW workers performance, or lack there of for some, that exacerbates this problem.
Not sure if that is your intent, just what I am reading as a clear implication, and which others have made clear.
Our town employees are no different than employees elsewhere. The majority of them are good people and good employees. Every entity has employees that fall over the spectrum.
If the barrels aren't being emptied at the end of the day, some seem to assume it is the worker's fault. Why?
You (in the collective sense and for discussing the trash collection) assume it is a laziness factor. I see it as a system, as is in place nearly everywhere (public and private) where you have assigned duties, a schedule and directions. Stop blaming the people in the truck. Whatever your own employment, not every employee has the authority to deviate or take independent action.
As to the police, and having some knowledge about practice and procedure, when there is a problem area they do spend as much time in that area while patrolling as is possible and practical.
Yet trust me when I tell you, I don't know how many times I have heard the complaints about a cruiser with an officer being parked some where "all night".
I can think of several reasons why the officer in the cruiser should not be getting out of the vehicle and taking any extended stroll with a flashlight area that area. There are reasons the vehicles come equipped with spotlights. The reasons should be obvious.
It may be a 24/7 presence is the only answer. I don't think so, but would not have a serious disagreement. It is a judgment call and I defer to those who have to deal with the decision.
In a nut shell, can we stop implying the "laziness" factor here.
Unfortunately, I have learned more about PokemonGo over the last two weeks than I prefer to know. The first time I saw all those cars, I though there was a re-enactment or a concert going on at the Fort.
ReplyDeleteI have a few concerns. The Fort is a Pokestop where people can gain experience and "catch" Pokemons. There's no indication that the area won't continue to be such a spot. If "playing" the game drops off from being a fad, that's one thing, but the area will remain a hot spot for players.
In my opinion, and from what I know about the Fort, this game causes a much higher intensity of recreational use of the historical area than intended for the area. These are not people going to look at old--fashioned cannons or reading plaques about the American Revolution. These are losers- I mean players - who stare at their mart phone screens waiting for imaginary characters to appear in "augmented reality".
These people are not contributing anything by visiting that site, while actually causing measurable damage and oversaturating the site and surrounding neighborhood. What tax dollars are being gained here? Selling clam cakes and Iced Coffees? All the while our PD and DPW have to put in extra labor to account for that demand?
It's well documented. People stay there waaaaay past gate closing time. They also litter like crazy. My own mother went on a trash-collecting mission one morning. This absolutely costs taxpayers money. The other thing is, there are plenty of other stories on-line how this fad is causing similar problems elsewhere.
Okay, please tell me what exactly what are you saying? Seriously, you call people losers? What exactly makes them losers? Give me your suggested solutions.
ReplyDeleteWell, last night's rain and lightning and tonight's even crazier storm has kept the players at bay. No one wants to risk damaging their smartphone because of water damage, how could they survive for 1 minute without it?
ReplyDeleteI did take a drive by there today, clean, no overflowing garbage cans. Did the weather contribute to this, or maybe DPW has stepped up their game. Either way, definitely still more people out by the cannons, but you know I think some people might actually get something out of being there. Not fair to say they are all just staring at their smartphones. There is obviously something about that spot that has kept me coming there for years and years to enjoy it sans Pokemon, maybe these folks feel the same.
And I agree with you John, losers does not equate the game players here. Young children, parents, teenagers, grandparents, the list goes on and on. I'm surprised of the people I see playing it. There's always a few, A**H**ES that ruin it for everyone. This is a prime example of that. Interesting to see how this all plays out.
I do miss Beth and what her take is on all this during her summer break. I'm sure she'll have some interesting photos and commentary about it next week when she returns. I don't think she would be able to stay away from this unless she was not in the area. Hey John maybe next year you could cover for her while she's away? Then again maybe not, she's not as PC as you, so your coverage probably wouldn't be as riveting of a read.
Well thanks for the agreement on the "loser" point. As you noted, there are always a few who ruin it for everyone. A concept that happens as regular as clockwork.
DeleteI assume what you consider "PC" are some little quirks I have regarding what gets posted.So be it. Kind of interesting to have that attribute used to describe me. Not sure I have ever heard it before. What can I say, other than what I noted way back when. I prefer comments to be made, especially when regarding an individual, following a Town Meeting protocol.
But even I can change. Was a time no swearing was allowed, even with the use of characters in lieu of actual spelling.
You might be quite riveted if I were doing an opinion column on the payroll for the fourth estate. But it is doubtful I would be much use as a reporter.
If you are a grown ass adult (sans children) and are out til wee hours of the night, catching and training imaginary characters whole staring into your cell phone, that's the very definition of LOSER in my book. Let's face it, grandparents and children aren't partying with a game all night long at the Fort.
ReplyDeleteAlso look at the age group causing most issues... I'm talking about the people crashing cars, wandering like zombies on the sidewalk, vandalizing, littering etc while playing. Again not children or grandmothers.
Lets assume the DPW has heard about the garbage problem at the fort.Unless they are not internet friendly,or don't pick up the newspaper,or are not informed by the employees ,etc.,there really is no excuse for not having a last minute pickup in the area.I can assume the employees have cell phones or communication methods to send and receive info..Once the trash containers are full then strewn trash becomes a problem. This is not an everending problem ,lets nip it at the bud.. Common sense should be the answer.
ReplyDeleteI agree. So let's hope the people in charge have in fact heard. If not, I am sure they would love to hear from their constituents about it.
DeleteLet's start with your first point. What any grown ass adult, with or without children does for fun, entertainment or relaxation is no business or concern of mine so long as they aren't injuring others, or other's property.
ReplyDeleteNow that of course opens to the point of your second premise,the "age group" causing most issues.
The zombies on the sidewalk? I have been seeing that for years, well before the game graze. All age groups with either their eyes buried into the screens of their phones, or the phone glued to their ears intently listening, talking, reading or texting to the point of oblivion to their surroundings.
The damn game didn't create the zombies, just increased their numbers.
Apply the above to the car crashes by the way.
Vandalizing, hey no defense at all for it. But again the game hasn't created the problem. Just intensified it.
And as far as littering, I can tell you no age group as a monopoly on that one. None. But hey, maybe I am just unlucky enough to manage to follow too many litter bugs walking the streets, in the parks, or just driving down the road.
I actually know a few of these people in the age group I assume you are discussing. Actually I knew a few people in most any age group you want to pick. They aren't losers in my book. In my book, they aren't losers because they happen to be "grown ass adult (sans children) and are out til wee hours of the night, catching and training imaginary characters whole staring into their cell phone".
They enjoy what they are doing. But for what you describe as a "loser" activity, they would be consider good people, some very successful people, not only monetarily but in the things they do.
Ain't no arguing that there are some out there who are doing the things that are happening. So spare the retort about well yeah but some are. So are some in any age group.
A whole lot of activities some people do in their spare time are consider worthless, not redeeming, and waste of time by others.
Deal with the trouble makers. Otherwise, can we stop pigeon holing people, be it all of them doing something, or well not all of them just those of a certain age, or group you want to label.
Let's face it, grandparents and children ain't doing a whole lot of things all night long that people of certain ages have been doing for generation upon generation.
On a positive note, not something I'm usually capable of having, I drove by the Fort around 3pm today, not many parking spots available, cars parked up and down Green and Fort Street, hundreds of people milling about. No trash scattered on the ground, garbage barrels were not overflowing. Didn't noticed anyone with a crowbar.
ReplyDeleteEither the town is stepping up it's game, or people are just behaving. Curious of the outcome that happens this evening. Let's hope what I witnessed today continues. We still have a lot of summer left, I'm sure we can all just get along and behave for the rest of it.
OK, new topic. Bell being removed from Rogers school. Are they going to Godzilla that bell tower like Oxford to removed it? Who decided this, they are going to put it back? Really? Guess it's all free, donated time and materials by the companies working on this project, good for them, community spirt? Free advertising? If they do what they did to Oxford, better to let the bell be, and if it falls from it's mount and damages the building, let's face it, I don't think that really matters at this point. I'm wondering myself what's behind all this? I'd love to have it as a wind chime in my back yard! If I could have made it up to the bell tower during the fire sale, I'm pretty sure I could have walked out of there with that bad boy for like $5, like so many other things did. For whom does the bell toll? Not for me I guess, missed out on that one. Or maybe every time a bell rings and angel gets it's wings.
ReplyDelete