The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
Aug. 5: A broken wooden bookshelf, a TV, and computer monitor were left near the bike path off Cottage Street.
Aug. 5: A mattress was left on the side of the road on Belmont Street.
Aug. 5: A television was left on the side of the road on Mt. Auburn Street near School Lane.
Aug. 6: Police spotted a man slumped over in the front seat of a vehicle on Pilgrim Road. Officer Michael Grzelcyk stopped and spoke with the man. When the driver got out of the vehicle Grzelcyk saw a glass pip in the center console which had burn marks and was recently used. When Police searched the vehicle they found fentanyl, over 40 grams of what is believed to be crack cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. Joseph Caira, 68 of Newton, was arrested on charges of possession to distribute a Class A drug and trafficking cocaine.
Aug. 6: A man went into Best Buy and took a Ring camera priced at $90.
Aug. 7: An electric bicycle was parked at the bus stop at 66 Galen Street, and when the owner returned the bike was gone. The TENWAYS CGO800S is valued at $1,300.
Aug. 8: Toyota of Watertown was contacted by the bank about a check that was changed to $59,416. The name that the check was made out to was not familiar, and it appears to have been stolen and washed. The check was mailed from a box outside the Post Office on Galen Street.
Aug. 8: An employee at Jomar Plumbing Supply received a call from someone claiming to be from a company ordering a RIGID cordless press tool kit that costs $4,233. The said someone would be coming by to collect the order. Prior to the transaction Jomar discovered it was a fraudulent transaction. An Uber driver arrived and picked up the package. Watertown Police intercepted the driver, who said he had no idea what he was picking up. He was dropping it off at another location for a second Uber driver to deliver to a UPS Store in Brighton. Police are investigating.
Aug. 8: A woman took $500 worth of home goods and stationary from Target.
Aug. 9: The Residence Inn by Marriott on Arsenal Street received a call from a woman who said someone used her credit card to check into a room at the hotel, and it wasn’t her. The person used the woman’s car and asked to have another name added to the room. A man arrived at 1:45 a.m. and provided a fraudulent ID. Police were called and determined he was committing credit card fraud. Officer also found that the man was in possession of numerous credit cards, driver’s licenses, and black checks that did not belong to him. Ameer Calloway, 25 of Boston, was arrested on a charge of credit card fraud.
Aug. 9: A check that was mailed from a box on Main Street in Watertown Square was stolen and written to someone else.
Aug. 9: Ricci’s Liquors contacted police when a man was seen shoplifting. Officers saw him on Main Street and found merchandise from Ricci’s. The man did not cooperate with Police, and pushed an officer into a car when he was being taken into custody. He also screamed and caused a scene. Daniel Hyde, 32 of Watertown, was arrested on charges of shoplifting, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, and assault and battery on a police officer.
Aug. 10: A man rang a doorbell around 2:10 a.m. on Howard Street. The resident woke up when the Ring doorbell sent an alert. The man tried to open the door and left.
Aug. 10: A shoplifter took $73 worth of merchandise from Target.
Aug. 10: A man entered CVS on Mt. Auburn Street carrying two Hallmark bags and took items. He was wearing a mask, and is believed to be the same person who shoplifted from the store on July 18 and 26, too. He stole a total of $431 in assorted merchandise, including beauty products and personal care.
Aug. 10: A woman took an estimated $100 in goods from CVS on Mt. Auburn Street.
Aug. 11: Target reported a woman who took $238 in beauty products.
Aug. 11: Neighbors of Oakley Country Club reported that at about 5 p.m. golfers were urinating on the fence between the golf club and their backyards. They could not be identified. The Country Club was notified about the incident.
Aug. 12: Two juveniles were seen taking $1,954 from Target over the course of multiple days.
Aug. 13: A moped was taken from a home on Cypress Street.
Aug. 13: A customer left a wallet at Dunkin’ Donuts on Main Street. The card was cancelled but the owner received reports that someone tried to use it at an unknown Domino’s location.
Aug. 14: The window of an unoccupied office building on Main Street near Church Street was broken. Police suspect it was vandalism.
Aug. 14: A man took $150 worth of Air Jordan Retro sneakers from Nike.
Aug. 14: A refrigerator and two dishwashers were left on the sidewalk on Maplewood Street.
Aug. 14: A Coolidge Hill Road resident ordered an Apple laptop and it was delivered on the 14th. When the person arrived home the package was gone.
Aug. 14: A shoplifter was caught taking $410 worth of merchandise from Target. Jada Broadus, 29, of Boston, was arrested for shoplifting.
Aug. 15: Two women took cosmetics off the shelf at CVS on Mt. Auburn Street.
Aug. 15: A man took $410 worth of items from Target, and is also suspected of taking $233 from Home Depot.
Aug. 15: An electric scooter was locked to a metal rack on Adams Street. It was taken.
Aug. 16: An officer patrolling spotted a car on the side of the road with its dome light on at about 2 a.m. Police found that the owner had a warrant for his arrest. Tanawwat Maksin, 30, of Watertown, was arrested on the warrant out of Brookline District Court for threats to commit a crime.
Aug. 16: A man took two items off the shelf at CVS on Mt. Auburn Street and left with $48 worth of merchandise.
Aug. 16: A man took a pair of Air Jordans worth $150 from Nike. He was the same suspect as a shoplifting on Aug. 14.
Aug. 16: Carter’s reported two women come in and take $150 worth of merchandise.
Aug. 17: A woman took a mattress cover from Target worth $37.
Aug. 17: A man went to Target and purchased $443 worth of gift cards using a Discover card, and $206 worth of items using another card. Neither credit card belonged to him. He also concealed multiple food items that cost $149 under his sweatshirt and in brown bags. Paul Hampe, 56, of Cambridge, was arrested for improper use of a credit card and shoplifting.
Also this week:
Another brutal week for the mall shops, unless you’re a kleptomaniac. This blotter is as bad as I remember. I usually give credit to WPD for doing their best, but I think more is required. I’m sure they would be the first to agree, given the turn for the worse. They can’t be happy with how things look. I think the town needs to step forward as well, working with WPD and mall management to keep the area safe from rampant criminality. A town-wide hiring freeze to fund extra patrols? Delay the property tax relief? Sell back the pond? Unless townspeople are resigned to living in a high-crime zone, we must demand better of our state and local elected representatives. This is a very fixable problem: it’s no surprise where the criminals strike. Do citizens have to picket to warn people for their own safety that they are entering an area known for its soaring crime rate? Reread the crime report before answering. It has to stop.
Remember when you could mail a letter in your neighborhood mailbox and you knew it was safe?
The whole Arsenal area has been nothing but a den of thieves since the first retail development opened for business in the 1970’s. The 2018 Criminal Justice Reform Bill has been the enabler for the continuous crime that you see happening daily here and across most of the state of MA.
Agreed, but the story can’t end there. The citizens of Watertown have a say in how we are governed. As leftist as the town has become, even leftists (most leftists) don’t like to be mugged. Everyone is harmed by looting. Regardless of political affiliation, everyone should demand it be stopped.
We do not have say as to how the courts treat the offenders. Lenient judges and prosecutors allow the revolving door system to release them again and again.
Sure, we can try to change the legislature and governorship to stop the liberal appointments. But they keep getting elected by the one and only political party in MA.
OMG! The fear mongering.
The WPD does a damned fine keeping Watertown safe. Mugging you gotta be kidding me? Who gets mugged in Watertown? In fact the word mugging is only used by people older than 70! In crime lexicon using “jumped” would put you at about 60-70 (since hoods usually jumped Socias”) and “jacked”, well that puts the users age at New Jack City age. I forget the term the kids use when they come into the ED, but they aren’t complaining here. However, whatever word used, this rarely happens in Watertown.
Josh wrote, “As leftist as the town has become, even leftists (most leftists) don’t like to be mugged. Everyone is harmed by looting. ”
I agree everyone is harmed by tooting. Webster defines looting as, “ Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters.” I ask you when was the last time Watertown was “looted.” Not even during the search for the Boston Bombers.
And yes nobody wants to be mugged left or right but who is actually getting mugged here?
WPD provides crime statistics and when you actually look at the statistics you will see Watertown is one of the safest communities close to Boston. In fact I believe Newton had more homicides last few years than Watertown.
Perhaps it’s time to stop politicizing shoplifting…..perusing the police blotter the biggest crimes in Watertown are shoplifting (and that happens to stores not citizens), car break-ins, check washing, and drunk driving.
Here’s a solution to those who feel WPD isn’t doing enough….why not apply and get trained by WPD at citizen police academy and be part of the solution instead of denigrating the WPD.
Would you have the National Guard take over the Watertown?
You are so right. This weekly crime log has become the mechanism for the local MAGAts to weigh in and try to scare people. It’s the Trump playbook.
What part of Watertown do you live in again? Wherever it is, I’m glad you’re not scared. Me neither: I’m angry. Looting is a choice we don’t have to accept.
Very succinctly and cogently written, Christopher. The usual commenters are confabulating stories to uphold their exaggerated fear mongering.
The Left is on the wrong side of most 80-20 issues. Crime is one of those 100-0 issues that I guess is now 99-1. I wouldn’t have believed it, but I’ll never doubt again.
“MAGAts”: d’oh, now I get it! You’re calling 77.3 million voters for the President of the United States vermin. It got past me because I gave you too much credit for dehumanizing slurs. Won’t happen again.
That’s all they have left, insults. TDS at its worst.
I got what he meant when I read it, but my response was “moderated”. As may be my second – and this one. We’ll see.
“The Left” is not dehumanizing as if we are not more than the 76 million that voted for Harris. I even wanted a different Democrat but there was no way I was voting for someone who had gone bankrupt multiple times, and that is even before he said what he said about Mexicans and the disabled journalist. And stats are not left or right. There are people that actually count events and report on them. Perspective is not left or right either if you understand statistically significance. Fact remains most Americans are more likely to be shot in a house of worship than they are in a downtown city, and considering that most Americans don’t attend services that is significantly impactful.
75,017,613, per the FEC. But what’s a million voters?
While the local Demonrats attempt to convince us that everything is fantastic in the Bluest of States. It is the Marxist/Maoist playbook.
Commandeering public street ala DC is right out of that playbook. Also ignoring store managers who tell you leave private property during COVID is very anti-capitalistic. My property, I will conduct commerce as I please.
I agree 100%. Nothing happens here that rises to the occasion of high crime rate. The attempt to create a narrative that there is so much crime everywhere doesn’t serve anyone except for those who benefit financially. Several news organizations, when they were still doing investigations, debunked the increase in shoplifting at places like CVS. The plastic cases shelves does not a crime story make. It makes me go to another store that doesn’t do it because I am not waiting around for them to perform. Fact, those corporations were throwing out product and reporting it stolen. They were getting a bigger tax break for “stolen goods”. If we were serious about crime, we would try to affect gun violence and the readily availability of guns. One is more likely to get shot at a funeral in a church than walking around downtown Boston at night.
“Would you have the National Guard take over the Watertown?”
Never occurred to me, but let’s ask Mayor Bowser of DC how it’s going:
“We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do.”
“For carjackings, the difference between this 20-day period of this federal surge and last year represents a 87% reduction in carjackings.”
Also, 12 straight days without a homicide: celebrate every victory. I like the way you think.
PS: “Take over the Watertown” what? The mall, the town, the farmers market? “Take over the Watertown what?” It doesn’t make sense.
The secret of comedy is timing, Christopher, and you’ve got it:
“Police Catch Two Alleged Home Invaders Hours After Breaking Into Watertown Home”
This gag doesn’t quite land, however:
“Perhaps it’s time to stop politicizing shoplifting…..perusing the police blotter the biggest crimes in Watertown are shoplifting (and that happens to stores not citizens), car break-ins, check washing, and drunk driving.”
I feel so much better! Shoplifting is just “politicization”.
Though “shoplifting” is a funny choice of word for the relentless bloodletting of local commerce. As a lexicographer of a sort, you object to my use of “looting” (although you’re wrong to: it fits), so how about “ransacking” or “plundering”, even “pirating”—all terrific words?
I’m happy to suffer your slights, Christopher, but I’m not the problem—and there is a problem. Neither are the WPD or the National Guard. The looters (pirates) are. I think the police would agree; that’s why they set up a sting operation a few weeks ago. They likely saw this misery coming, but they had to do something. Now it’s up to the rest of us.
Shoplifting happens. It is one of the oldest crimes. However, it doesn’t require more than the store security guards to address. Such a desire for more is an overreaction. Police resources should be used to handle crimes such as shootings, bank robberies, assault and battery, domestic violence, car thefts, etc. The national guard is for foreign invasion or disasters, man-made or otherwise. And the military should only be deployed by congress when a war is declared, and never against residents. Many persons in the military have expressed this, and those who express the opposite, “are nuts” according to military people. As for the cavalcade of clowns, known as ICE, who have now been documented to be members of Proud Boys in some cases as well as those who were not good enough to enter a local police department, they should be disbanded. Customs and border patrol is enough. Thanks to local police for screening them out because the last thing we all need is uneducated persons who know nothing about law and order, never mind how to even carry a gun running around in our communities. Some are so overweight that the last thing they caught was a happy meal. The police have to meet certain standards, why not them? Every time someone cries wolf, it puts us all in danger when the wolf does appear at the door.
The clowns are those opposing ICE and supporting illegal aliens. “…border patrol is enough.”? Where were you during the four years of open borders under Biden?
Remember, there was a dip in immigration during the Biden administration. Remember, he did toughen border security in order to appease the republicans to get the infrastructure bill passed. And border security is enough when funded. Remember when the democrats offer up a bill to do so but candidate Trump told them to reject the bill. So candidate Trump had a solution that would have stem the issue but instead let it fester so that he could then bring in ICE. You can watch the replay of all this on TV.
No. There wasn’t. There was a gigantic increase instead. Where do you get this?
Biden toughen nothing. It was to little, too late and misguided. And he has no idea as to what was happening around him.
Done with this.
And “ICE, who have (sic) now been documented to be members of Proud Boys”. That is a lie. Prove otherwise.
This ludicrous assertion was floated by Scott Shuchart, former Acting Assistant Director for Regulatory Affairs and Policy at ICE during the Biden Administration during his interview with Slate (need to say more). He provided no proof for it, just as you did now.
Understand who Shuchart is, then see if he has any credence.
Mr. Shuchart has made nearly 150 donations to liberal candidates, of which the following are a sample:
Obama for America – $1040 – 2008 campaign cycle total
Obama for America – $65 – 2012 campaign cycle total
Hillary for America – $366 – 2016 campaign cycle total
Warren for President – $120 – 2020 democratic primaries total
Biden for President – $75 – 2020 campaign cycle total
Harris for President – $25 – 7/21/2024
Incidentally, how on earth do you transmutate from shoplifting in Watertown to ICE?
Have you seen the videos of ICE in DC and other cities? People on the street are taking photos/videos of them, obtaining their names and then matching them to various associations. Kristi Noemi even hired one who was put on trial and convicted for the insurrection. There are databases of names, addresses, prior job positions and yes, memberships. They can mask up all they want, but someone somewhere always knows who the person is. These people who are identifying ICE “agents” are 5 steps ahead of Scott Shuchart. Facial recognition software and other online tools are accessible by all sides. If you cover your face, then you should also cover your tats, jewelry and other identing features. Unfortunately many don’t even cover their beer belly off which they dangerously hang loaded rifles lie they are toys. The videos are there for anyone to consume – start with Youtube. How do you think they found so many insurrectionists? And I am supposed to trust these clowns over actual FBI agents and local police? Or the military persons who think this is overkill, if not nuts? Recently, a retire major told me that he is glad to be retired right now because he couldn’t stomach working under the current administration. He thinks they are all on drugs.
As one responder said, MAGA keeps pushing the high crimes narrative in order to bring in the National Guard and ICE. The transmuting from shoplifting to ICE is already being done by the current administration and allies. On CBS news, Republican congress people were saying they are scared to walk the streets of DC for fear of being mugged as they walk the streets with a very expensive watch and the latest iPhone out for the world to see. They said there is a lot of shoplifting, muggings and car thefts and the National Guard should be brought in. In reality, the FBI crime stats for that city is lower than the places from which ICE “agents” and the National Guard are being deployed. Chicago and DC are far safer than many southern cities. Per FBI data, Chicago has a lower violent crime rate and property crime rate than Houston, TX. Meanwhile child kidnappings, domestic violence, sex crimes, and pedophilia go unaddressed except for when local law enforcement captures someone for such as acts. And gun violence is completely ignored. If anything, I am trying to bring in perspective based on facts and numbers. Some things are never as bad as people make them out to be, and other things that need attention rarely get it.
“Shoplifting… doesn’t require more than the store security guards to address.”
Wouldn’t that be nice! No, really! That would be awesome. I don’t see much or any security at Target, so the town would be within its rights to ask for some to correct a problem that plagues more than “just businesses.” I see plenty of private security in Arsenal Yards, otoh, but pricey sneakers still walk out of the Nike Store in every crime log. Even when caught, what happens to the looters? Police still have to respond, taking them away from the other duties you cite. Might as well nip it in the bud, no? Spare a lot of time, expense, and societal costs. Come over to the “dark” side: crime is always wrong, in every way. Tolerance is grace, but tolerance of crime is moral corruption.
“ Target, the Minnesota-based big box retail chain — which has blamed retail theft for hurting its bottom line — instructed store staff to halt bandits who try to flee with items totaling $50, down from the previous sum of $100, Bloomberg News reported Thursday.” This was back on June 2024.
Looks like some didn’t get the memo in Watertown. Or maybe AG Andrea Campbell told them to be nice to the protectees, as the judges are.
Many stores, Target included, have almost all merch under lock and key. Workable, just, in a small shop; a complete non-starter in a store the size of Target. Something tells me Target and the WPD are looking to each other for a solution, but the only solution lies above both: the public and political will to stop it. Judging from other commenters, that’s not happening. Sad to say, but Alexandria Real Estate’s wrecking ball is all that will save us from ourselves.
The Target will not be torn down. Not sure about whether Best Buy will remain.
Actually Target’s bottom line is hurting for other reasons, some financial others not, but hyping up the shoplifting is a good way to cover up real bottom line impacts. Theft is a loss and can be written off. It is also easy to identify with all the cameras. More theft actually happens in back offices, but the corporations don’t want people to know that they have entrusted the wrong people with money or that anyone in the management class would ever steal. My friend works for a similar corporate retail entity, and has conducted the audits. She is also privy to what they tell the media. This can also be discerned from the financial statements if one know how to read one. Numbers don’t lie but talking heads usually do.
Greetings,
For those who do not remember my Mother; she was called by the Lord on 12/17/2019. She was 101 years young, plus 105 days.
She was a fighter; my partner in crime. On 03/12/2002, my then 83 years young Mother was “mugged”, possibly an attempted purse snatching, on Mount Auburn Street. A good Samaritan from Tufts Health at 705 Mount Auburn Street ran to her assistance.
A midmorning (10:30 A.M.) walk to Coolidge Square almost devasted our lives. My Mother was thrown to the street; injuring her hip on the curb.
The WPD Team showed professionalism and great respect for my Mother’s emotional frailty. Was the young assailant apprehended? No. Was the community concerned about safety? No.The Watertown Tab and Press reported the incident as occurring at 10:30 P.M. Did some people try to smooth our ruffled feathers? Yes.
My Mother was told: “be careful”. The trauma of the assault, in our own neighborhood, lingered for many years.
Yes, crime did, and does, occur in Watertown. When the happening hits home; dismissive words and online chatter do not mitigate the pain that our loved ones have felt; and the inherent anguish endured by those who cared.
Take The Initiative To Make A Difference
Participate In The Process
Best,
Angeline Maria B. Kounelis
Retired Watertown District A, East End, City Councilor
Thanks for sharing your story.
Sorry for what happened to your mother. A “youth” attacking an 83 year old woman over 23 years ago in the morning in a central location gives pause, along with unmeasurable indignation. It can happened anytime to anyone. And some is not even reported.
Ignore those who dismiss our concerns about crime. They may sing a different tune once they or a loved one become victims. Then again, indoctrination can be a tough thing to overcome.
Well put, Erik. I’m not surprised we are more empathetic to the victims of crime. We don’t need to be victims ourselves to know how ruinous crime, even “against stores”, can be to a town. Look at boarded up downtowns all over this country, malls especially. Many here worry about relying too heavily on biotech for our industrial base. The Watertown Mall is slated for redevelopment soon, so I guess this will all be moot soon enough.
I looked at Alexandria’s designs before posting, but you’re right: Target seems to survive their plans. The rest of the mall seems not to (after multiple “phases” of rebuilding). I stand by the comment on the wrecking ball: maybe two target-rich (pun intended) malls are irresistible to petty thieves and looters. Arsenal Yards has outsized and outclassed the Watertown Mall. If Working Gear and Joyful Garden can’t find space across the street, it’s our loss—same for the RMV, the only benefit of which was its proximity. How the new tenants after the renovation will feel about a perpetual crime scene next door, and our indifference to it (passionate indifference from what I read here), is a problem left to those who will have to deal with it.
You love Trump so much that you completely ignore events that have occurred, as well as facts and numbers. He told the Republicans, some of whom thought the reform bill was excellent, to not pass it. Biden did tighten up the border. He did change rules around asylum. Actually, his Secretary of Homeland Security got blowback for this. Per Border Protocol ad Customs data and Citizenship and Immigration Services data, Trump deported, removed, denied entry to or induced self deportation for approximately 2 million people during his first term. During Obama’s two terms the number was approximately 5.24 million, and he prioritized those with criminal records, which Trump explicitly changed. So 91 percent during Obama’s two terms had criminal convictions. Only 41 percent had a record during Trump’s 1st term. During Biden’s term the number of people deported, removed, denied entry and self-deported was approximately4.7 million. Unfortunately, Biden kept Trump’s de-prioritization of crime conviction. So only 34 % had criminal record under Biden’s administration.
Biden’s immigration reform bill would have addressed Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division’s concerns. They wanted “more personnel, more resources, including detention beds, technology for monitoring asylum seekers, non-intrusive inspection technology to detect fentanyl”. The bill was on its way to passing when Trump told Republican allies to “kill the bill.” He said that.
And Trump will defund programs that support and assist the local police once his OBBB goes into action in 2026. Trump’s cuts are:
$1 billion across 40 Department of Justice (DOJ) grant programs which support police departments
• $646 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• $545 million from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• $491 million from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA),
• $468 million from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF).
• $212 million from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
• $107 million from Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Public Safety and Justice
These numbers and events are not coming from the left or even real republicans. This was reality reality regarding deportations between 2016 and 2024. Trump killed the immigration reform bill that would have gotten Border Patrol what they asked for, and he will cut programs that the local police rely on. He asks for these cuts.
Derangement is identified as ignoring reality, especially when they are recorded actions and actual numbers. Those numbers could be interpreted in a number of ways. One could say leave it to a black man to get rid of all the convicted non-citizens. Or one could say Trump just towed the line after Obama, but the wicked old president did more. One could even say Trump wasn’t trying hard enough during his 1st term. Anyway you slice though, 5.24 m and 4.7m > 2m. Every time.
Forbes 9/10/24
While Harris is now pushing the bipartisan bill as a key part of her platform, even some Democrats did not get behind the legislation at the time. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said it “contains some of the same tried and failed policies that would actually make the situation worse at the southern border” and criticized the bill for not doing more for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, for instance, while Rep. Priya Jayapal, D-Wash., expressed “alarm” over the legislation. “There is no question that we need significant changes to our immigration system,” Jayapal said in a statement. “However, this proposal includes none of the thoughtful reforms to do that or to actually address the situation at the border in a humane way that recognizes the contributions immigrants make to our economy and our communities.”
Mr. President Trump wasn’t alone opposing the Bill, however, for far different reasons. All that matters now is that it did not pass. Period.
During Biden’s administration, immigration officials have encountered aliens illegally crossing the U.S. border around 10 million times. When accounting for “got aways” — people who aren’t stopped by border officials — the number rises to about 11.6 million.
Great job, Democrats.
Enough diversion from the original theme, namely the Police Log. Getting tired of the unrelated philippics.
Bye.
When one ties the activity happening in DC to the local police log by calling for that to happen locally, then one is the originator of diversion or do I say not as I do kind. Ironically, when others use numbers in national politics that correlate to local issues or even demonstrate cause and effect, then the originators want guardrails. I am so use to this game. Sad part is that I thought I left it behind in Jr High. Alas, corporate America, the adult world and authorities have taught me otherwise.
Cover your ears because the fire that happen recently very much relates to national politics. Federal funding, insurance policies and intervention programs impact the local fire departments. Regulation in terms of health and safety codes for the fire departments as well as for a senior living facility also plays a factor. Take those away, and disaster awaits. You get what you pay for, or vote for. That’s not to say the other people won’t jump in to save others because so many men came to the rescue as the fire trucks were on their way. It shouldn’t be that way though. The firefighters are the experts, and those kinds of facilities should be safe no matter the economic status of those living there. So there is a story not tied to the local police log.
As for the opposition to the reform bill happening on “both sides”, that is reality. Life is messy. No bill is perfect. Some thought it too harsh, others not harsh enough, but many thought just right, including many Republicans. The only person rallying against for purely selfish reasons was Trump because you can’t make 2m greater than 4.7m or 5.24m unless you let the problem fester. People want solutions not empty promises and phantom saviors.
My car has been ransacked twice. Once in the early 2000s and recently. First time around, cops caught a 24 year old male from Belmont looking for drug money. Maybe he is doing it again. Regardless, it sucked. All that was taken was a boatload of change both times. He also made a mess on the driveway. Does ICE or the national guard need to take care of this? The local police did just fine. If I were the judge I would recommend therapy because drugs cannot love you back and a ransacking of his car to see if he likes it.