COMING TOGETHER

A community forum organized by Rutland United Neighborhoods drew a
sizable crowd on Wednesday night, and participants got a briefing on
one of the city's most urgent problems: drugs.

City police officers were there to tell residents about the police
crackdown on drugs in the city, which has suffered a plague of heroin
and cocaine use. The police reported that since Oct. 1, 2001, there
have been 112 arrests on drug charges and $194,600 worth of drugs have
been seized.

The drug problem is not exactly news in Rutland. Crime associated with
drug use has been a worry for several years, and recently there has
been a parade of drug offenders passing through Rutland's courts.

What's new is the effort by the community to gather in neighborhoods
to talk about the problem. RUN's efforts at fostering a renewed
community spirit in the face of dispiriting news about crime and drugs
are commendable. City residents don't need to sit passively by.
Residents working together with police and other officials can help
ensure that Rutland remains a good place to live and work.