Last Thursday evening, a 24-year-old male drove a stolen dirt bike into another car at the intersection of Rhody Drive and Irondale Road. 

I know this because it was our dirt bike. I also know we had to pay $715 to retrieve the totaled bike from impound.

This is not the first time we’ve had our personal possessions stolen from our own property – this is the third time.

The first time, a young man stole our 12-gauge shotgun. He was arrest and released. He did no jail time (possession of a stolen firearm is a felony in the state of Washington). The second time, possessions were stolen from our vehicle.

The very next day, I saw a young male literally wearing our stolen headphones. I have photo evidence. None of this matters.

Directly from family members of two of these men, we know they have substance abuse issues. They steal to pay for their addiction. They take what is not theirs to support their drug habits. By doing this, they are not only hurting themselves, they are hurting our community.

We call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office every time and every time, they take down our information. Yet there is no change. Possessions continue to be stolen and those who have chosen to steal from their neighbors suffer no consequences. We pay our taxes and contribute to the good of our community. Those who take from us, add nothing but disgrace and cynicism to a world already plagued by social unrest, environmental devastation and a worldwide pandemic.

When do we say enough is enough? What if one of these destructive community members steals from or harms your neighbor or sister or child? If we can’t make changes within our own community, how can we have any hope for the world?

Lyndsay Fluharty
PORT TOWNSEND