Request for review granted by the DOJ
Recent television broadcasts about the boating collision that took Lynn Thornton”s life have left many good citizens apprehensive about the adequacy and fairness of the subsequent investigation. I have heard those concerns and they do resonate with me. The Lake County Sheriff”s Department must operate unencumbered by doubt. Lynn Thornton”s loved ones and local citizens alike must be able to trust that we are fully open to inspection ? in spite of unfortunate stereotypes of rural communities.
On Aug. 20, 2007, I contacted the Office of the Attorney General and I requested that his Department of Justice (DOJ) conduct a review of the investigation done by my staff and members of the Sacramento County Sheriff”s Marine Services Unit. Unofficial approval was granted the following day and I received official approval of my request on Aug. 22, 2007. I look forward to the outcome of the DOJ”s review and I am committed to accepting all of their findings.
It is typical for law enforcement agencies to protect case evidence until it can be scrutinized in court. In a rural county like ours, it is crucial that our small jury pool is not influenced by un-vetted information from the media before jurors can be empanelled to view the evidence and the examination of witnesses under oath. I will release the DOJ”s findings to the public for review the instant that I am confident that it will not interfere with any local jury selection process.
Sincerely,
Rodney K. Mitchell
Sheriff/Coroner
We do not elect racists
Mr. Jurgen Schorfheide of Honolulu, Hawaii, says Lake County officials still act like Mississippi in 1964 (Observer*American, Aug. 8). He says the sheriff runs the county and maintains a racist department. These statements, though directed at law enforcement and local officials, actually insult the citizens of Lake County, because we elected them. He forces his judgment of our county upon all of us given the wisdom of our Founding Fathers regarding the exercise of voting.
If Lake County is racist in a context of Mississippi 1964, then that means Lake County Transit does racial profiling and assigns seats to the back of the bus. Likewise, local restaurants, banks, stores, physicians, tax preparers, etc., all profile and assign certain treatment of customers in the conduct of business. It means our schools require racially-based busing, and the national guard gets them to school safely.
I don”t see that happening. What I do see are people of color enjoying their summer homes and a day out on the lake in their boats. What I do see are people of color enjoying shopping at local stores, because where they live they don”t have access to stores, like Wal-Mart. They come back year after year.
Martin Luther King said he had a dream. He dreamed about being able to go to a doctor and not have to worry about receiving deliberate substandard care. He dreamed about being able to sit anywhere you wanted in a restaurant. I believe he dreamed of people having summer homes, enjoying a day on the lake and shopping to their heart”s content.Furthermore, we, the people of Lake County, do this in safety and quiet enjoyment thanks to the Sheriff”s Office.
We, citizens of Lake County, do not elect racists. Given Sheriff Mitchell”s years of service, and the consistent positive track record, he is to be congratulated. Then considering the annual budgets he”s done this all with, one can hardly say he”s running the county.
That people of all races enjoy our lake, live and vote here, we have every right to take pride in our sheriff and officials we”ve elected. They unanimously support us, our communities, and the quality of life we all expect.
In closing, Mr. Jurgen Schorfheide, you sound more like the disgruntled type that always has a problem with excellent law enforcement.
Bethany Baylor
Clearlake
Never witnessed so many peace officers at an event
I have lived in Lake County for approximately 12 years. For the past 10 years I have worked on several community events through Soroptimist International of Clearlake and the Lake County Community Action Agency, including the Blue Heron Run. I probably talked to most of the participants and vendors on the phone or at the registration tables. I consider myself a lawful person and I don”t own a motorcycle.
Never have I heard of nor witnessed so many police personnel at an event. Wednesday”s Observer*American (Aug. 22) covered the unfortunate situation pretty well; read it.
During the planning of Saturday”s event the Iron Pigs were going to sponsor the run. I was rather proud of that and expressed that naive notion to someone in Buckingham who stated, “Those riders better have legal mufflers. Konocti Resort had to cancel their spring event,” implying somehow, the participants didn”t have legal equipment and that”s why the run was stopped.
Approximately 10 days before the event the Iron Pigs, headed by Officer Celli, pulled out. The reason I was told, by the event coordinator, was because of a band member”s affiliation with the Hells Angels. Maybe they have forgotten about the Iron Pigs” participation in last year”s Reno event called the Cat House Poker Run in Reno. It”s organized by the Hells Angels.
The police department has made a public relations blunder too big to cover up and at the cost of community programs and taxpayers” dollars. At the very least City Hall needs to apologize for the extreme presence, illegal pullovers and safety issues.
Marty Comito
Lake County Community Action Agency
Upset and disillusioned by local law enforcement
My name is Georgina Lehne. I”m the executive director of the Lake County Community Action Agency and several other non-profit organizations that provide 19 various services to the county. The three core programs are the food bank for the county, two emergency food pantries, transitional shelter, which is the only one in the county; a recovery program for women and children and youth services, which is a consolidation of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program and the Boys and Girls Club, which provides a one-on-one mentoring program as well as organized youth activities in Clearlake.
We do all of this from our various locations in Clearlake and we have been serving the community for many years.
Our income comes from grants and local fundraising. Many times we have to turn people away because we cannot afford to buy, even at a substantial discount, enough for all who ask for it.
We tried to have a fundraiser to support our youth services programs. It was similar to many others held all the time at Clearlake.
Many of these types of events draw people from the many motorcycle clubs who often visit our beautiful area. Because of the amount of representation from the various law enforcement agencies on the day of the event, it not only hurt the outcome of the event but it also hurt the reputation of Clearlake and Lake County.
Many of the vendors and the people that came from another county said that they will never come back. The people who paid the $50 to attend our event were unnecessarily hassled by local law enforcement. Most of the people, if not all of whom are middleclass citizens like us who like the feel of the wind in their hair. Many, we were told, were turned away before they even got here.
As a result we have lost a total of $16,182 and also the ability of making any money from these individuals in the future. We have not only lost the chance to make a profit to support the youth services programs but have lost some of the costs incurred that cannot be refunded.
The elements of the fundraiser were the same things done all the time. A pancake breakfast, a specific route for the motorcycle participants with designated stops for refreshments and their poker hand, a steak barbecue, children”s activities and a great band to listen and dance to.
The people who put on the event were all volunteers who donated their time and talents. These volunteers included Joyce Overton, City Council member of Clearlake, who worked tirelessly and chaired the event; Ed Robey, District 1 supervisor; and Bill MacDougall, Carle High School principal; as well as the Lakeshore Lions Club and the Clearlake Kiwanis Club. Many local merchants donated items to minimize the cost of the event.
We are sorry to have to bring this to your attention in this manner, but we are upset and disillusioned by our law enforcement response to our event.
Georgina Lehne
Executive Director
Lake County Community Action Agency
The above two authors” statements were also presented as public input during the Thursday, Aug. 23, meeting of the Clearlake City Council.
Don”t forget to write!
The Clear Lake Observer*American welcomes letters responding to articles and opinions that have appeared in this newspaper, as well as on topics of general interest. Letters can be sent to letters@clearlakeobserver.com or mailed to PO Box 6200, Clearlake, CA 95422. Pleases include complete name, address and telephone number.
