May 18, 2004
Tuesday

Thanks to the Dixon Entrance Chapter of the Society of American Foresters who worked cleaning up mile 6 North Tongass for the third time in about as many months. Sad to say that due to the dirty work of those traveling that section, it needed it again.

The section of North Tongass from A&P to Don King Road lasted about three weeks until the trash became very noticable. It has become very apparent that there is a segment of the population that just doesn't care. This was pointed out to me by someone who observed a young man with friends in the car, throw a McDonalds drink container out of the car he was driving in downtown Ketchikan. Just wanted to prove how macho he was- "We don't need no stinking trash containers!" We're checking out the license plate to see what we can do.

The Southend Lazy Litterbugs deposited a couch at about half a mile from the falls at 10 mile. The tourists may not see the falls while they are being driven by but you can bet that most will see the couch scattered over the ground, it's hard to miss. It's nice to know we have people to depend upon to make a mess of things others have worked so hard to clean up. Would someone tell me, are they lazy, stupid, or both. It took more work to take it out there than if they took it to the dump! Let's see what the Northend Serious Dumpers respond to the couch with.

In a December 16, 2003 letter to Sitnews, Leif Jenkinson commented on the bench and pallet burning parties on Revilla Rd. Take pallets, add beer and stupidity and make a mess for the community to enjoy and get flat tires from! Doesn't it sound like fun to you? On March 21, 2004 Patti Fay Hickox asked what was going on in town with the vandalism, car thefts, breaking and entering, and destruction. On May 7, 2004, Archie Inoncillo comments on watching a video about methamphetamines and the effects on users. A lot of this ties in with what I have been seeing.

In March I found a safe from a local business which had been stolen in a break-in in February. When the police officer came out to recover it, we walked around the area looking for more evidence. What he showed me was evidence of the manufacture of methamphetamine in Ketchikan. I later contacted them to get more information on what to look for in my daily trash diving duties, (In previous training I became aware of the
dangers from meth labs and contaminated equipment, including seeing pictures of children killed in meth plant explosions because their parents cared more about the drug than them).

Recently I heard statements made about young people coming into a local store with odd expressions on their faces, so much so that the clerk made a point of telling others about it. This occurred on a weekend night. In 2002, the Troopers were busting an average of one meth manufacture operation a week in Fairbanks. Although Ketchikan is smaller, the demand is probably the same on a percapita basis. Where do they get the money for the drugs? Some undoubtably from thefts such as cars and the theft of diving equipment that happened here.

On a trash collecting trip on South Tongass I found a patient counseling slip from a local pharmacy dated 2/07/04 for a drug called Suboxone, generic name Buprenorphine and Naloxone. "Common uses: This medicine is used to treat narcotic (opioid) dependence. It works by preventing withdrawl symptoms, since the buprenorphine is actually a type of narcotic (opioid) itself."

I recently served a citation on a young man who should be looking forward to a good and useful life. For some reason I don't have much hope for him. I served him outside a courtroom where he was removed in handcuffs after going through court proceedings. He didn't look very happy with his tattoos and sullen attitude which I didn't help with the citation for dumping solid waste in the Borough. I got involved because he took money from someone who was trying to help him by giving him a job to do and paying him well for it. He ended up getting his friend and himself in trouble and now has to pay for it besides possibly paying for the thefts he is accused of committing with jail time. For some reason I don't think drug users are known for their compassion and concern for others.

An interesting but not unexpected happenstance is that his name came up with the name of the guy that dumped the junked truck at Air Marine Harbor two weeks ago! The truck dumper had his name and picture in Sitnews several weeks ago in an unrelated but related happening (Thanks Sitnews, now I know who I'm looking for!). Unrelated, because it had nothing to do with trash dumping, related, because I believe there is a group of people that has little if any respect for you and what you desire for a lifestyle, the type of clean place you desire to live in, and what you want for your children. They are only concerned with feeling good, having a good time, where their next drug of choice is coming from and where they can get your property to sell to pay for it.

The worst trash of all is the wasted and destroyed lives.

Welcome to the new Ketchikan!

Jerry A. Cegelske
Code Enforcement Officer
Phone(907)228-6621
Ketchikan, AK - USA

 

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