Recently, this old geezer found self thinking of a rather brilliant personage known. More than being brilliant, the person thought of, is also a friend. The rare breed of friend that is there through good times and bad.
I am speaking of Sheriff Steve Durfor.
That is not to say that we got on like a house on fire when first met. Truth be told, this old geezer is a bit much at times. Guilty of hubris he be. Feeling ill-served by the coppers and their leader, the old geezer took pen and hand and fired off a mean letter to. That is not to say that the letter was not heart felt. Much bad feeling was poured out and it was thought that the old geezer had set fire to another bridge in community lived.
To his credit, Sheriff Durfor came out and met the old geezer, spent time listening to and trying to sort out just what was needed and how his department had been so mis-understood. Steve listened hard and it was quite clear that he was not going to blow smoke up me arse and leave.
I no longer live in the community that Sheriff Durfor 'serves and protects', telling the whole world of him is not a suck up, as there is nothing to gain from. Not bloody likely that the old geezer will be in the nick any time soon. When the old geezer left the community, Sheriff Durfor continued to write to and asked to be kept in the loop with me blog. What a lovely man.
To prove point, there follows the letter that the old geezer sent to Steve.
Dear Steve,
Weekend past I directed another massive cleanup at the Linda Villa on Park Avenue in the community of Linda. Hired help, neighbours and wee ones helped to cut grass, whack weeds and collect rubbish. What a lot or work and how much more improved it makes the complex.
Bin bags were filled with the rubbish hurled about the complex by not so nice neighbours on the other side of fence next to. Much rubbish was picked up on road and in the drive way of the complex, tossed there by folks who do not care what the community looks like.
The truly horrid part of the task was having to pick up tossed dope bags, spent needles, broken crack pipes and blackened spoons hurled with no concern for the safety of the wee one who will pass by and might be harmed by. Silly MOI, did I say 'dope bags'? Lacking an education is such things, the wee bags might have been used to hold a sweet for on cared for. Spend needles, how unkind, they surely were used by a neighbourhood diabetic who must take insulin to save life. Crack Pipes? Silly of MOI, they were broken 'bubble blowers'. As to the blackened spoons found tossed, surely they were dropped by a homeless person visiting from the riverbed.
While so many were working round the property, the traffic to a certain unit never let up. Right odd to see folks pull up, get cash ready, get out of vehicle, count one more time on way to unit and then stay but a tick and then leave. This was seen three times. Mind the traffic continues all of the day.
Silly old geezer I be. What I know and what can be proved are two different things. Coppers who have visited the property in the past tell that all of the evil that exists to plague the Linda Villa is 'civil' in nature and they, 'the coppers', can not and will not do anything to help solve. Coppers who wear a mask of indifference and scorn when they come to answer a call for help. I have complained about this in past and am told it will be looked into. Right, and the 'great flood' may soon come.
There was to be a massive party at the Linda Villa, to celebrate the re-birth of Civic Pride on road, at complex and in the community. That party is not going to happen any times soon. There are still evil creatures who destroy the 'quality of life' on road, in complex and MOI has no desire to provide food, drink and fun for evil creatures, be they adult or wee ones.
I will not lie. The Linda Villa on Park Avenue in the community of Linda may well not be the most horrid part of the community your coppers patrol. Your palace guard can provide you with charts that show that there be other roads worse. That may be. I do not care about other roads, I care about the road my neighbours live on. Neighbours who have proved that they want to do things different. Mind, the push is on to save 'CCC' and the whole world knows that the evil creature control life there and will continue to forever as the folks round do not care enough to be pro-active in the fight to saves selves.
When calls are made to complain about the dumping of vehicles on property, one can almost hear the paint dry for the lack of answers provided by your coppers on patrol. "It is civil", "Private Property". Matters not that the dumped vehicles are years out of date on tags. Why bother calling?
Steve, to my mind the great failing of your administration has been your inability to place the fire in the belly of your coppers to help a community save itself. Right, there are a few brilliant examples, but in the main, your coppers want the rush of the 'big bust' and care less about crime prevention. They do no see how evil the 'nickel and dime' dealer is, or that the granny selling medications destroys lives as well. No amount of banging on about traffic or evil creatures hanging about gets much help.
I am unabashed supporter of coppers. That does not mean that I wear rose-coloured glasses in viewing how coppers perform duties. Making friends with the community patrolled does not seem to be in high order. More's the pity that, as without the support of the community, the coppers can not do their sworn duty.
With friends like some of your coppers, who needs enemies?? It almost is not worth the effort to report on-going problems as they will not be dealt with by the coppers on patrol. They will wait until things boil over, they there is a 'real' crime to deal with. I just hope that if the evil creature have their way with MOI and am done in, your coppers will treat my dead body with more respect than they did my living one.
With not much help from your coppers or you personally, we will continue to try and make a difference on Park and in community round. Like one of your less than brilliant coppers told; "You have to do these things yourself".
I have used "Steve" in manner of address as you live to come off as just plain Steve, who reads me blog and answers me emails. You do, and while the blog is not receiving 400,000 hits per month like the old one in Fresno, I will have you know that am quite happy with the 38,000 this month. I do hope you are not offended that I share this letter with one and all.
A less than happy member of the community
Robert De Frees
One wonders why the Sheriff bothered to reply to such a poisoned letter. Hang on, did I not tell one and all that Steve Durfor is rather brilliant? Legend even...
I oft wonder if the good people of Yuba County know just how lucky they be to have such a chap. They may well, as he was re-elected without any one running against.
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