Ten frustrated residents and members of the Keremeos business community gathered at village council chambers last Thursday to voice their concerns about transient issues within the community to RCMP Sergeant Kurt Lozinski, Rural Area Manager for the Oliver - Osoyoos detachment.
The meeting was chaired by Mayor Despot and was also attended by Councillor Charlene Cowling and CAO Laurie Taylor.
Recent behaviour by a number of transients in the community had members of the business community frustrated and angry at what hey saw as a seemingly uncaring and often absent police presence in the community.
Shane Jensen, an employee of Valu Plus Foods, told those gathered about an incident that occurred in the store involving a transient who refused to leave the premises after tripping one of the managers. After uttering threats, he left, only to return later, assaulting Jensen and uttering death threats. The transient then waited for Jensen outside the store, once again threatening him and his family.
Joan McMurray told those at the meeting about experiences witnessed by herself and other members of the local Chamber of Commerce, Similkameen Country.
“Transient vehicles park under shade trees on 12th Avenue, restricting access to Pine Park,” she said. “in some cases even restricting the road width to one lane. They’re parked there for five or six hours.
They congregate on the east side of the park - we’ve had complaints (at the Infocentre) over people who are unable to use the picnic tables because of transients. There has been damage and desecration to the village’s public washrooms, complaints about public nudity, and litter in the streets.” McMurray also noted that the commercial building housing her business has been vandalized by transients who used the outdoor water faucet and slept in the rear flower beds.
Valu Plus Foods owner Jeff Rowe said that in 39 years of business, this year was the worst ever for the transient situation. He related the case of a transient returning an open shaving razor that was missing parts. When he was refused a refund because the package wasn’t whole, the transient shouted epithets and kicked in a store window prior to exiting the building.
“My daughter is running the store now,” Rowe said. “Enough is enough.
The campground is breeding crime, and nobody is policing. I can’t supply the little extras I’d like to have available for my customers - if I offer complimentary coffee, or have condiments out, the transients take it all.”
Laurel Dierdorff of the Keremeos Hotel agreed that this year was the worst ever for transient problems.
“It’s not the farmworkers-the non pickers are living off this community by stealing, vandalizing and threatening. My staff is vulnerable to their abuse because liquor licensing regulations surrounding the hiring of bouncers makes the cost prohibitive. Every day we are struggling just to get back to zero, because of the damage and theft.
There is a total disregard for any kind of authority-I’ve called for help many times in the past and was told the police couldn’t prosecute because these people have no address. Nothing can be done about the thievery or vulgarities-it’s very uncomfortable for residents and merchants.”
Henry Beausoliel commented on the excessive speeding he witnessed on his street by older vehicles with out of province registration.
“I’m just waiting for an accident or a fatality-I’d like to add a lot more, but I’ll leave it at that for now,” he said.
Laurie Carter lives near the section of Great Northern railway bed that accesses the Farmworkers Campground.
“They fly by our place,” she said. “I found evidence of one of them sleeping in my trailer one night. They are very unclean - there is toilet tissue lining both sides of the road. They go to the bathroom anywhere and everywhere.”
Connie Conaroe told the gathering that they lived near a drug house that was being frequented by transients.
“We need your help,” she told the sergeant.
Lozinski acknowledged the group’s complaints, telling them that there was a new detachment commander and a number of younger members who should bring a new mindset to the local detachment. (New detachment commander Mike Gallagher was not available for the meeting.)
“ I’m really tired of this, ‘I’m too busy excuse,’” he said, referring to several complaints against police personnel who were apparently giving citizens that reason for not responding in due time to calls, noting also that the several officers in the detachment who were involved in traffic services do not respond to other police calls. In reality there was often only one officer present to answer general calls.
“Be mindful to call no matter how small the matter is,” he told the group, “We need to get those call volumes in order to justify our numbers.”
Lozinski also spoke of the need for citizens to come forward-to get involved and attend court if necessary to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We need to work as a community, to take ownership,” he said.
As far as policing went, Lozinski told the group that he understood their expectation of service.
“We need to step up,” he said. “If you are not getting the service you want, talk to Mike (Gallagher), myself, or Brad (Haugli) -we can’t change the past, we can only move forward.
“I sense the frustration-I hear it.”
Mayor Despot took exception to Lozinzki’s comments.
“This has been an ongoing issue in this and other communities for years,” he addressed Lozinski. “I’ve heard the same thing over and over again - that you’re going to do a better job.
What I want to see is, not what Mike is going to do next week or next month - I want to see changes overnight.
You knew about this situation - your members won’t get out of their cars. You talk about us being your eyes and ears, but if your members rolled down their windows or took a walk through the park - they could use their own eyes and ears.”
The mayor commented further that there was no reason why an unmarked car couldn’t make patrols.
“It’s not being done. People continue to lose money in their stores - all I want is productivity from what is purportedly one of the finest police forces in the world.”
Lozinzki reiterated that residents who weren’t satisfied with the service they were receiving should refer their complaints up the chain of command.
“Lengthy delays are unacceptable. Follow the chain of command - tell them you’re not happy with the service you’re getting,” he said, to which Mayor Despot responded, “We need a change sir, tomorrow morning. We are not satisfied.”
One member of the group observed that the “transient population has I.D.’ us as an easy mark - I’m tired of it,” while another suggested that the Farmworkers Campground “was not going in the direction intended. What we need to do is weed out the workers and non-workers.”
“Unfortunately, that’s very difficult to do,” concluded the mayor as the meeting came to an end, “that’s part of being what being a parasite is.”
While the transient meeting was in progress, a liquor shipment being delivered to the Red Bridge Pub was in the process of being targetted by a transient, an action that was noticed by Red Bridge staff. They prevented the car from exiting the parking lot and called 911.
Police found the suspect(s) in the Farmworkers Campground. It was discovered that the vehicle had stolen plates and lacked proof of ownership.
The vehicle was subsequently impounded. No charges were laid against the driver.