Crime wave solved: it's yet another mental health case, jail's not the answer - -

[Mama Lion]

A series of small but ugly crimes
committed on my erstwhile peaceful quiet homestead
by an unknown intruder had me fantasizing
craving 8 foot fences topped with razor wire and electric zappers,
an electric remote-controlled gate, pressure-sensitive alarms with
piercing (prohibited) decibels,
and fearing to let my perfect-sized 18 pound doggy 5 feet from my scrutiny
of anything he might sniff.

The last 2 months were really bad. We were prisoners inside the locked
doors of the house.

On Wednesday April 24 Officer Welch (you know him from our SFNA
meetings) presented
collected evidence to a neighbor I'd feared was also a victim... and
the neighbor admitted
he'd been doing the illegal acts, but it was immediately and painfully
clear that the whole situation was a matter of mental illness.

How could all the neighbors be so unaware of how dysfunctional this
long-term resident
had become? How could his family be so unaware of how dysfunctional his
life has become?
Will the referrals from GPD and our caring neighborhood officer result
in this fellow
receiving the help he needs?

Sure, I'm glad to have the mystery solved of the nasty intruder who's
been invading and abusing
my yard. But I'll spend a lot more wakeful hours wondering how many
more neighbors are
desolate, depressed, bereft, purposeless, confused, adrift...
...and nobody is paying attention....

With hope there is help for all who seek it,
Sharon Woodruff

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