Stop the crime, fires before building BMX

On July 14, there was a large fire at the Lafayette Community Park. Capt. Caravantes of the fire department told me they were lucky the fire did not get away from them.

He called for assistance and a 12,000-gallon tanker came to help put out the fire. If that tanker could not help stop the fire, they would not be able to stop it. There would not be enough water.

Currently, there is uncontrolled serious crime (lighting fires) being committed in the park.

There were rusty paint cans floating in the creek, along with old tennis balls, beer cans, cigarettes butts and more.

So we have uncontrolled crime, plus pollution in the creek.

I have been told by members of the park department that they do not have the manpower or money to protect the creek from these crimes, or to stop the pollution. For example, car tires have been in the creek for a long time and have never been picked up. The fire pit is still there.

While all this is going on, there is an agenda to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a BMX park which will increase the number of people that will be coming to this area.

I believe if we increase the number of people to an area that currently cannot be properly patrolled by the police and is already polluted, we will only increase the crimes committed in this park and increase the pollution.

It is time to stop funding

John Briggs

Lafayette