APD on scene of last week's major disturbance Townhouse Apartments
So no, the Amherst Police Department does not spend all of its time dealing with rowdy students -- er, I mean "college aged youths" -- raising Hell in the dead of night. Well, maybe on weekends -- especially when the weather is nice.
Although APD did respond to a noise complaint late last night to 121 Meadow Street, ground zero for last year's most notorious riot, which would get my vote for 'Party House of the Year'. Fortunately this time around a warning was sufficient (maybe because it was only a Thursday).
Yesterday around 6:30 PM police responded to a call on South East Street/Bay Road for "10 piglets running in the road." And an hour later for a loose cow. All of which were "Gone On Arrival." Although a while later a call came in confirming the farmer had "wrangled them all."
On Monday evening police responded to a farm field off South East Street (not the same one with the lost piggies) for a suspicious vehicle. Said vehicle, driven by David Brown, age 46, attempted to run down an officer.
David Brown of 108 Lee Rd, South Deerfield is facing a litany of charges (the last one most astonishing):
Driving with revoked license
Assault with a dangerous weapon (the car)
Alcohol in motor vehicle
Possession of open container (in said vehicle)
O.U.I Liquor 5th offense. Yes you read that correctly, 5th offense!
UMass needs to get serious about cracking down on serious offenders undermining the quality of life for neighborhoods all over Amherst with their obnoxious behavior, and the court system needs to get deadly serious with drunk drivers.
A common statistic I've heard about DUI is that the person caught has probably driven that way a couple hundred times before finally being nabbed. Now factor in Mr. Brown's five arrests and be thankful you did not interest with him on the road the 1,000 times he was driving his "dangerous weapon."
And yes, I just checked UMass people finder and the only person cited the night of the notorious riot at 121 Meadow Street last year is still registered as a student.
When it comes to OUI or DUI, whatever you want to call it, the problem is that we're not serious about nipping it in the bud. Japan has a policy of "one time and you're out forever." In other words, if you're caught intoxicated behind the wheel, you lose your license. Period. Done. Over and out. The Czech Republic as well. They will throw you in jail and you pay a verrrry hefty fine. So, there is either car service or a designated driver. We seem to fiddle around with the issue and hence aren't truly serious about actually DOING something. Unimaginable, considering that peoples' lives are at stake. I can't imagine that the incidences of drunk driving wouldn't decrease if people knew they would lose their license forever.
ReplyDeleteIt is very amateurish to show police cars outside Townhouse Apartments in Amherst if your story is about someone from South Deerfield being arrested, and being arrested elsewhere to boot.
ReplyDeleteActually you should try reading the story.
ReplyDeleteI deftly shift back to remention last week's riot at Townhouse Apartments (where I took that photo), and even managed to tie it the original Mother of All Riots on Meadow Street last September, where I was chagrined to learn the only twit officially cited was still an active UMass student.
The person who was arrested was age 46, not a UMass student, and did not live at the apartment in the photo. Nothing deft about it. Just wrong.
ReplyDeleteStart your own "we love to party" blog.
ReplyDeleteBased on the high traffic volume I get from nitwit kids posting links to me on their Facebook page while whining about my spotlight, you would probably get good results.
I'll just start a "we love accurate reporting blog" since you are trying hard to link a 46-year-old driving a car in a field to UMass partyers from a week ago when there is no such link. They are completely unrelated stories except that you are out to grind your ax against UMass students.
ReplyDeleteCommon link is alcohol. Lots of it. From a very small minority of a) drivers b) UMass students.
ReplyDeleteThis piece overall was poorly written to the others, especially the segue from the drunken driver to UMass students.
ReplyDeleteIt is a weak defense to claim this isn't portrayed to incite anger towards UMass, using the unrelated DUI as a catalyst. But we all have our own pyrrhic battles to fight, putting our reputations on the line, don't we?
What would you know about "reputation". Anons don't have them.
ReplyDeleteI put mine on the line with every piece I publish, all 2,200 of them.
that's why people know your an asshole Larry, you sign.
ReplyDeletethe s Deerfield thing is not related... period. why not call that guy and ask him his side of the story. after all you are a "news reporter" as stated in you email to the young girl who thinks you are a creep.
you are not an endorsed reporter, regardless if you worked for the bulletin or whatever. you are a creep nosing into areas that are not your business, in an ethical sense. you are a creep, who helps amherst look bad. that is a fact.
if i got an email from a "news reporter", i would immediately be suspicious that they didn't say with whom they work. any random dude can write an email without affiliation. but you are not any random dude are you.
ReplyDeleteStruthio camelus. those 3 buildings came down with advanced demolition techniques... planes injected for drama and cover... used as false pretext for afgi and iraq. i know, broken record.
signed,
'bach
No, I am far from "any random dude."
ReplyDeleteYes, broken record. Irretrievably broken
I would know your ad hominem attacks are worthless as your arguments in a court of law.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you are a random dude. So am I. You nor I have a title, and that is the way it is.
Once again the town of Amherst fails to realize living immediately next to the railroad track brings bells and whistles. When it goes into the further neighborhoods I empathize, but for the dolts across the street from the college dolts, what were you thinking?
"Random dude"? I'm nothing if not consistent ... fighting for over thirty years now to make my hometown a better place.
ReplyDeleteAnd even occasionally winning a battle or two.
Perhaps why Special Collections & University Archives at Du Bois Library collected my personal papers as part of their mission to "curate, preserves, and provide access to the textual and audiovisual record of social change in America."
And last I looked, W.E.B. Du Bois Library is located smack in the middle of UMass/Amherst, my alma mater.
"Random dude"? I'm nothing if not consistent ... fighting for over thirty years now to make my hometown a better place.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you run for SelectBoard?
I am totally serious, and while you would find a public hysteria against you -- with all kinds of support going to whomever was running against you -- I still think you would win.
I think a lot of people would quietly vote for you and then never admit it -- I am not convinced that Catherine Sanderson wouldn't have been re-elected had she decided to run. People want to be popular, people want to have harmonious relationships with others, people don't want to be called names and lack the courage to publicly stand for what they believe in.
Larry, remember when the two of us spoke against The Vagina Monologues at that school committee meeting? Remember the people who thanked us afterwards, people who couldn't say what we did but were glad we had?
There is a large faction that will quietly vote for you.
They will never, ever, admit to having done so. They will tell everyone they intend to vote against you and may even sign letters encouraging others to do so -- but in the privacy of the voting booth, they will vote for you.
You could win...
I did initially run over 20 years ago and came in 3rd in a Caucus election behind Elisa Campbell and Jon Hite, where Elisa went on to narrowly win the Select Board seat.
ReplyDeleteI did so "surprising well" with (gasp, financially conservative) voters that Bulletin commentary page editor Nick Grabbe offered me a job as a columnist, which I went on to do for 14 years.
came in 3rd in a Caucus election behind Elisa Campbell and Jon Hite, where Elisa went on to narrowly win the Select Board seat.
ReplyDeleteElisa is retired and Jon is busy with the Hamp Housing Authority, so why not try again? You are far more better known now...
Also, as to OUI, a disturbing story from England that US Suicides now outnumber *all* US Car Deaths (with OUI less than half of those). Hmmmm...
And I wonder how many single-fatality OUI crashes actually *are* suicides.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2207089/56-million-suicide-prevention-programme-launched-study-reveals-Americans-lives-die-car-crashes.html
Brilliant comment there Ed. Now that Elisa and Jon are out of the picture Larry is a shoo-in. Yea. Right. What planet do you live on?
ReplyDeleteEd, you fail to take into consideration that the very important journalism stuff Larry does here on this blog comes at the expense of his reputation as a reasonable, likable person in the community he loves so much.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, he'd lose big time with the which candidate would you like to sit down and have dinner with? question. Except with Roach Patrol.
What would you know about reputa-blah blah bla-blah blah blah...
Yes, obviously I do not worry about winning the Mr. Congeniality Award.
ReplyDeleteBut I do give a voice to the voiceless ... In a megaphone fashion.
The silent majority here in Amherst, that you told O'Reilly about ten or twelve years back? Is that who you believe you give a voice to?
ReplyDeleteI wonder why they don't get on here and comment. They could be anonymous, and not have to worry about the "big problem" in this town of retaliation.
You are truly delusional, Larry.
Actually it was eight years ago. And yes, unfortunately I also give a voice to CANs like you. Oh yes you CAN-CAN, yes you CAN!
ReplyDeleteThe many, many people who made their voices heard to the consultants hired to conduct a national search for our current superintendent don't think you're making "my" (hmmm, not our?) hometown "a better place". The consultants made a priority of reporting that an overwhelming number of community members feel your blog does damage to our town, and that they'd like to see it taken down.
ReplyDeleteLarry, have incidences of large student parties and other alcohol related incidents decreased since you started your campaign of "exposing" the revellers?
What is your intent in posting these types of stories?
I believe they were talking more specifically about Catherine Sanderson's blog; you know, the one 5 School Committee Chairs tried to have the DA shut down.
ReplyDeleteWhen you start advocating censorship in a free society such as OURS (not "my") you have lost the argument -- especially if you are a CAN.
only about half my comments make it to approval, mr censor.
ReplyDeleteOnly half? Damn I'll have to work a little harder.
ReplyDeleteFirst Amendment only applies to government censorship (like using a DA for instance).
If you want free and unlimited comment ability then you're free to start your own blog.
Oh that's right, I forget -- you already did.
Well, you believe wrong. The consultants reported the people's belief that your blog was doing damage to our town. And no one advocated censorship of your blog. Simply, many, MANY residents expressed their wish that it would be taken down. Because it does not make our hometown "a better place". Just the opposite, in fact.
ReplyDeleteUnless you have some data which suggests otherwise.
Did the consultants, hired to conduct the national search for our superintendent, ask you to take your blog down, Larry?
No, they did not.
ReplyDeleteAnd if they did, I would have replied: "Nuts!"
"Except with Roach Patrol."
ReplyDeleteI believe CS and LK are truly great human beings.
And to do what they have tried to do, whilst completely covered in screechy scratchy Ponziville roaches, well, the ~least~ I can do is act the water boy.
The least.
Brilliant comment there Ed. Now that Elisa and Jon are out of the picture Larry is a shoo-in. Yea. Right. What planet do you live on?
ReplyDeleteOne where Scott Brown is in the US Senate.
Ed, you fail to take into consideration that the very important journalism stuff Larry does here on this blog comes at the expense of his reputation as a reasonable, likable person in the community he loves so much.
I never said anything about inviting him to supper -- only that they may go out in the figurative "dark of night" and vote for him. In some cases just because he would stir things up.
Sorry Larry, but in some cases just for the entertainment value.
I would rather have a beer with Obama than a glass of whatever Romney's religion allows him to drink, yet I intend to vote for Romney.
And as to the support for Maria G -- yep, Scott Brown who was pushed out of a run for the corner office did a really terrible job of his senate campaign, didn't he?