Letter: Thieves, vandals gaining ground
Monday, April 30, 2012
It is depressing to find that, more and more, our possessions aren’t safe. The worsening theft and vandalism could make us decide to quit our business. Recently, while spraying our apples near Northeast 18th Street and Northeast 125th Avenue, I noticed that four 3- to 5-year-old apple trees were missing, ripped out of the ground. The next morning, eight young peach trees were missing from the orchard at Four Seasons Drive.
This is nothing new -- we go through it each spring. We plant new strawberry plants just to find a whole row missing, we plant a field of egg plant, peppers and tomatoes and someone goes shopping for plants in our fields.
It’s nothing to chase 50 different people out of our fields, people who are stealing produce during the season, plus there’s graffiti, illegal dumping, etc. This month, someone bashed a shop door open and broke the windows.
I know we’re not alone. I see what happens at community gardens and in our city and county parks. A great portion of this theft and vandalism is not done by kids, but by grown-ups and parents. What are they teaching their kids?
This situation is getting worse and some way we need to get it under control -- we’re losing ground fast!
Joe and Gayle Beaudoin
Vancouver
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