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LETTER: Criticism of police misses important points

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Staff

I love that Maria Rowan misses two important points in her ramble last week criticizing those we in the Carrboro community entrust with maintaining law and order:

1) The gardening activities of Carrboro Commune were preceded by three incidents of breaking and entering, engaged in by some of the same folks loosely affiliated with Carrboro Commune. It’s a bit disingenuous to pass off their antics as throwing tea parties. And to act all surprised when our local constabulary behaves a tad nervously.

2) The Carrboro Police Department is under the direction of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen – folks elected by our community. When we criticize them, we are essentially taking issue with the community.

But then again, Maria does. She was quoted elsewhere recently as saying that she found Occupy Chapel Hill/Carrboro (of which I remain a supporter) “a little too middle-of-the-road” for her. She preferred being involved in Carrboro Commune because it emphasized challenging existing social structures.

And therein I suspect lies the tale behind last week’s opinion – Maria’s continuing quest to seek justification for her loosely affiliated friends to challenge the existing social structures of community in which they live. And to be left alone by the Police when they do so.

For myself, I prefer to engage with the folks with whom I live. It is more communal. And ultimately, much more likely to be rewarding. After all, as Maria herself points out, it’s not as if Carrboro is some bastion of the hard right.

Geoff Gilson
Carrboro

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