SCORE ONE FOR THE GOOD GUYS

Score one for the good guys (March 5, 2004) Clinton City Council has made a
bold but impressive move with its decision to declare all property
continually used for the sale of illegal drugs and alcohol as a public
nuisance. And the residents of our city will be the beneficaries of the
move. While some property owners won't be pleased with the council's
decision, it should be a powerful message to them - clean up your act or
pay the price of doing nothing.

And if they want their property left alone, then the simple solution is
keeping it out of the hands of drug dealers and sellers of illegal alcohol.

Do that and they'll be no problem. Of course, if these property owners were
doing as they should, rather than looking the other way, the city wouldn't
have a problem to handle.

That, of course, isn't the case. And the City Counil was right to act
swiftly and in a no-nonsense manner.

No question this move alone won't stop the flow of drugs into the city, but
it will send a clear and decisive message - the city won't tolerate illegal
drugs and alcohol and council is committed to doing whatever it takes,
however unpopular it might be, to ensure residents feel safe in their
neighborhoods.

In many cases right now, they don't.

At Tuesday's council meeting, Mayor Lew Starling said his visits to
neighborhoods within the city had shown him sad facts. One of those facts -
that there are people who are afraid to come out of their homes because of
the drug activity going on around them.

That needs to stop.

No one should live in that kind of fear.

We think putting the heat on property owners to do their part is a gigantic
first step.

If property owners won't rent to known drug dealers, and if they will evict
rentors who are found to be involved in drug sales, then these ridiculous,
criminal individuals won't have a place to ply their trade.

And if it's made more difficult for dealers to ply their trade, then at
least one goal has been accomplished.

Couple that with the hard work that the Clinton Police Department and its
drug task force continues to do, and it's a sure bet the drug trade in
Clinton will diminish. Then add to it the willingness of residents to
provide tips to officers, and you have true team work that can, and often
does, make a difference.

No, the drug problem probably won't go away. As long as there is a demand,
there will be someone to supply it; but if those supplying it have less
access, then score one for the good guys.

Council has started the ball rolling. We applaud them for their bold move
and we thank them for recognizing the seriousness of this problem and doing
something about it.