THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 22, 1996 TAG: 9603210161
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
In the 1960s, Virginia Beach was a pleasant place to live, with a then population of about 6,000 people before the acquisition of Princess Anne County. Now, that population is over 400,000 and bigger is not necessarily better.
Examples: There's never a policeman around when you need one. Case in point, look at all the ``red-light runners,'' ``people parking in handicap spaces,'' ``parking in fire lanes,'' ``speeding,'' etc., snow plows not servicing the community streets such as Rosemont Road, Bow Creek Boulevard and Lynnhaven Road, just to mention a few streets. Trying to stay within budget constraints is not a justified reason when a citizen's safety is in peril.
To be sure, money is found to justify the frivolous. Look at how many dollars were spent to light-up the Boardwalk at Christmas. Look at the number of policemen used during the summer season to ticket ``cruisers'' on Atlantic Avenue. If people want to ``cruise'' and get into a bottleneck of traffic congestion, let them, they know the consequences of their own delay. Look at the millions of dollars paid or obligated to the Lake Gaston project. It may never be finalized.
Look at the money wasted on officials' trips outside the country to try to drum up business for the city. Case in point: look on page 12 of your 1995 Virginia Income Tax forms booklet, regarding Part IV-Enterprise Zone Act Credit. The Act gives favorable tax treatment to business coming to Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk, and 16 other localities in the state, but not Virginia Beach.
Our city administrators must be asleep, sitting on their hands at their desks, except when they woke up to raise the tax rate on real property, or increase the assessed value, or a combination of the two. Look at the money involved in building the arena at Princess Anne Park, or the money involved in planning the building of a ``downtown area'' in Pembroke.
It is time for the city mothers and fathers to start thinking about the citizens' needs. Suggestion: make or cause the police to be more visible. It is time the citizens of Virginia Beach got better service for their money.
R.D. Brendle
Virginia Beach We could learn lesson from Portsmouth crime
Hats off to the city of Portsmouth and to Commonwealth's Attorney Martin Bullock regarding ``Higher Bails Aim To Curb Portsmouth's Violent Crimes'' (Feb. 25 Virginian Pilot).
One way or another, it's about time we start taking a stand against violent crimes and the low-life that commit them.
As a victim, albeit, one of the lucky ones that ``got away,'' I really don't care about the Constitutional rights of criminals. I, as many, feel that criminals give up their rights of the 8th Amendment the minute they pull that gun out or hold that knife to someone.
What about the Constitutional rights of the innocent victims and their families?
When our forefathers wrote the Constitution, they had no idea what the future would hold. If only they could have known that the rights they wrote to protect innocent people, could be turned inside out, to protect those who commit crimes against the innocent people they were trying to protect!
I, as well as other innocent victims, applaud the city of Portsmouth, Commonwealth's Attorney Bullock, and others who aren't afraid to take a stand against criminals, ``that gets them off the street.''
When we finally do get them off the streets, let's keep them off!
Are you listening, Virginia Beach, Norfolk and other cities?
Julia L. Bentley
Virginia Beach by CNB