Tulelake, CA— Abusing the system for its intended purpose
I have lived in this area since 2002 by first bringing my Mom back to a place where she spent her teen years when she and her brother lived on the Thompson Farm in Malin, OR.
We lived in Newell from Oct 2002 to Jan 2004, then moved to B Street in Tulelake from Jan 2004 to Oct 2005 where we moved to Alturas from Oct 2005 to Feb 22, 2007 when my Mom passed away. I stayed a few months longer until around May 2007 and moved to Redding until July 2008 and found a place to live in Aug 2008 back in Tulelake. Where I have lived to this day.
One of the first comments I remember receiving upon moving back was from the Chief of Police, Tony Ross. “Why would you want to move back to a place where you have so many political enemies?” Upon returning I laid low for a while, just me and my dog, Feisty. Then, I tried to get things going by trying to bring life back into a city that is dying. To no avail my time was wasted and as a good friend of mine has always mentioned to me. “It is not the message, but the messenger”. If someone else more established had came up with the ideas I had the town would be all for it.
That’s the problem with this little town. If they don’t come up with the idea and it’s not theirs so they can take credit for it, they fight you tooth and nail to try and see to it you fail, along with your idea’s. This city has had ample times been given the opportunity to grow but have chose to shut down the very things that could bring it back to life. Such as years past when a BMX track could have been built and would have brought business to the community, they turned down that idea as well.
Then as years past an idea to try and do the same thing gets turned down and thrown to the wayside. There have been several attempts to try and not only build a BMX track but a Motor Cross Track as well, all once again to no avail. There are no performing arts or media centers where students can learn the crafts of the performing arts and media production. There is no access channel that could have been constructed when cable was strung through out the city for cable television. Where by now the city of Tulelake could have had its city council meetings taped and rebroadcast on an access channel with all the equipment with that purpose in mind for the community to be kept informed. No, that has not happened either.
Where a lot of the farmers have backed away from supporting a community who does not support them. A city that thinks hunting is the only way to go, yet they have fell flat there too compared to years past. Who wants to come to an unfriendly city that has yet to move beyond the 90’s in Technology? Who have been unable to change a simple answer machine message and bring it up to date? Where it still has the voice of a past city clerk and information on the hours they are open with a direction to either leave a message with the city clerk or city treasure. Which both have since moved on and no longer are elected officials for the city of Tulelake.
Where an individual has tried to report the news first in print form, then by way of web cam and sometimes both in order to keep the local community of Tulelake at large informed as to what is going on in their city. For all that effort has received the following comments or situations:
1. Chief of Police: “I have had several phone calls and there are some people who are concerned with you health and safety”.
2. Several individuals got together and falsified a Restraining Order that was issued by the courts, which is still before the courts.
3. Vandalism directed by throwing of eggs at a door and the rear and back windows of a van smashed and broken.
And for what standing up and speaking out for what is right against what is wrong? Is that the kind of thing a city can be proud of where they allow a group to put on a trial at a city council meeting, not once but twice in violation of the Brown act? Where the Brown Act has been violated not twice but three times. Who would want to continue to live in a city like that and the only comments that come back are “Well, you can always move and when you do you will not be missed." Or "Well what do you expect that is Tulelake!" Really?
Where a group has been allowed to put things on the agenda that were not city business or no concern to the city and the running of the city. If one individual can stop the city by mealy reporting to the public what is going on. Then that individual has more power than they will admit. It is time that city take heed and correct the errors of its past by having a procedure to fire it’s chief of police for several false arrests and now being on the “Brady list”, not in one, but in two counties.
For the city to finally have resolutions and procedures of what transpires at city council meetings according to policy of what belongs there and what does not in a civil manner, not the ones that have taken place, even most recently from not only private citizens but also sitting city council members lately.
The last election the slogan was "time for change", well lets see to it that happens in the future before the next election on the city council of Tulelake. Only time will tell so let’s see what happens now, presently, and in the future before the next election in 2016.
I may still be here or may not be here by then, time will tell.
Written by James Garland of Tulelake News
PO Box 772
Tulelake, CA 96134-0772
Home Phone (530) 667-4744
Cell # (530) 708-7852
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