A recent article in The Suburban Times reprinted from The Tacoma News Tribune titled, Western State Hospital patient stomps woman 8 times got me to thinking.
After reviewing a nightmarish incident involving a 260 pound male knocking a Western State Hospital staff member to the floor and then stomping her eight times, it was easy for me to conclude that state authorities who manage criminals and “mentals” will reason that the confirmed dangerous suspect should be released into an adult family home in Lakewood’s Oakbrook neighborhood.
It seems like a perfect plan when you consider that DSHS is currently trying to place three sexual deviants into adult family homes in Lakewood’s Oakbrook neighborhood including one felon who not only raped multiple victims but killed an 11-year-old girl. If DSHS has no concerns about introducing rapists and killers into a neighborhood jamb packed with potential victims, what could be so bad about a stomper?
If Oakbrook is appropriate for rapists and killers, surely Oakbrook must be suitable for a stomper. We can’t discriminate against stompers, treating them differently than rapers and killers, now can we?
For those serious-minded readers who might mistakenly take my comments above literally, please understand my words are meant to be tongue-in-cheek. I know a 12 year old who has enough brain power to understand that moving criminals with horrific and dangerous past behaviors out of prison into family neighborhoods is a dumb idea. If a 12 year old can figure this out, you would think those adults who serve us as politicians and state administrators would be able to differentiate between intelligent safe ideas and ignorant dangerous ideas.
The serious message to be taken from the stomper is “look out Oakbrook.” If our Mayor Don Anderson and others lose their fight to keep dangerous criminals out of group homes in Lakewood, then the front pages of our local newspapers will be covered with stories about our next “train wreck”. With dangerous criminals living in family group homes in our city, children, seniors, adults, and domestic animals will start being victimized and disappearing from Oakbrook.
When easily predictable and avoidable tragic incidents occur, citizens, politicians, and state administrators will belatedly start wringing their hands in despair and will be heard to exclaim, “This is awful. We have to do something to make sure this never happens again,”
Governor Jay Inslee, please pay attention to what City of Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson (link to City of Lakewood’s defensive lawsuit) has to say and then apply your common sense to your decision-making process. If you fail, Governor Inslee, know that you will have Oakbrook blood on your hands.
The smartest way to solve a problem is to avoid the problem in the first place. Keeping dangerous criminals out of family neighborhoods will help us avoid some serious horrific problems.
After 23 years of responding to 911 calls as a police officer, I know this to be true.
I live in Oakbrook. I remember many years ago, an escapee from Western State assaulted and killed a young woman in our city. The Governor, Dixie Lee Ray, “promised” steps to be taken and if it happened a second time, the entire area would have high security fences installed around it.
Well, sick humor was going around at the time (who will sacrifice for the group). Sadly, a second incident did occur, but as you can easily see, the fence was never installed. It might affect “the mental feelings” of the inmates was the argument at the time.
What about the mental feeling of the community and their safety concerns. The inmates won the debate, apparently.
I too live in Oakbrook and one of these adult homes is only 2 hourses away from mine. I keep wondering in all these discussions why there is no mention about the choices the owners/managers have in these decisions. It would seem to my way of thinking that they should be the responsible ones and say no to any attempts by the State since we can’t depend on the State to do it.
Thank you Mr Boyle for bringing this subject up in your own I inimitable way.
Organizations of professionals who work with mentally-ill violent people recommend ratios of physically-able staff to inmates, to make sure violence does not occur. The recommended ratio is something like one strong and physically-able staff member to 17 inmates. At Western State, the ratio is something like one staff to 30 inmates. The stories which make it into the news seems to show that it is women staff members who are usually the victims.
Why would anyone who wants to help mentally-ill people, but values his or her own life, want to work in that situation?
Joe if a twelve-year-old could figure this out what would lead you to believe that our legislature legislators could
Common sense – uncommon
I have nieces and a sister that live in an area very near one of the group homes that will soon be open to sex offenders. I am beside myself with anger and fear! How completely irresponsible of this state to “save money” this way and cause fear for those in these residential neighborhoods!