The Times-Standard is running a piece today on a yesterday’s drug raid by the Humboldt Drug Task Force and the Eureka Police Department in the 300 block of West Del Norte Street. That’s City Councilman Larry Glass’ neck of the woods. And the article mentions a recent community meeting Glass organized which included the Eureka police chief, the head of the Humboldt Drug Task Force and the Eureka fire chief.
“It’s been in progress for a long time, but I think the meeting gave a nice little push over the top,” Glass said, adding that he received plenty of calls from constituents on Thursday, once word of the raids got out.
“They are just ecstatic — that’s the best way I can put it,” Glass said. “They feel empowered that their voices had finally been heard and something had been done about it.”
Many people at that meeting expressed concern about the property, and some said that it had been in the “deplorable” state the police found in it in yesterday for well over a year, but nothing had been done about it. Why was that? they asked. What does the city need to clean places like this up? More money, the agencies responded. Well then tax us, the man said.
One man in the front row said he knew it was a meth lab. Jack Nelson, who heads up the drug task force, asked him how he knew for certain. They told me themselves, the man said, and I’ve seen smoke coming from the place at night. Nelson told the gathered crowd that he was more than willing to listen to people’s complaints about problem properties, but he needed evidence. Take pictures, he said; record the activities of the inhabitants.
Now we’re being told that the neighbors feel empowered. That’s not the vibe I got from the meeting — please correct me if I’m wrong. My read on the situation is that it takes getting the chief of police, the head of the drug task force and the fire chief into one room and shaming them publicly in order to get them to act summarily.
This article appears in Bankers’ Lunch: Second Course.
It appears you are right. Why was nothing done all those months ago when Larry Glass saw children being used to run drug transactions?
The embattled Eureka chief waited until the day before the hearing on his contract extension to ensure the best press at the best time. Other than that, I wouldn’t expect anything close to positive input from heraldo. I am surprised at the tone of the article though, considering it was written by that Greenson guy.
Frankly this article seems pretty accurate to me, and so did the quote from Glass.
However the Eureka Police Chief did not need this to get recognition for the great job he is doing. Except for a few malcontents in the police force who objected to having all that overtime taken away and those on the SWAT team who did not like to lose their toys (machine guns) the police chief has great support in this community. He fully deserves his contract extension.
japhet’s post was very thoughtfully put. he/she is right, the law enforcement in Eureka is going through a huge upheavel now. It probably would be hard to get the chief and the others mentioned in the same room at the same time. the new cheif plays hardball and the old school cops around here REALLY dont like that. the new cheif watches the overtime pay more closely, which i applaud, but the cops hate.
i would imagine that work greivences are not public information, but ive been told that the new cheif has a few filed against him.
i spelled chief wrong 3 times….it must be friday afternoon…..is it beer thirty yet?
the word smoke in: “I’ve seen smoke coming from the place at night” should have been lights.
The BIG ? now….what’s the D.A. going to do with the case….want to bet, some, if not all, these dritbags are back out on the street. Contacted the Times-Standard and Eureka Reporter (via E-mail)asking for some follow up on this story. The E.R. said it was to much for them, to busy? The T.S. did not answer….what a joke.