A Letter from a Neighbor

Dear Friends,

There is no question that a new jail is a legitimate need for our community. However, the County’s current plans for the jail site involve meeting that legitimate need in an illegitimate way.

Imagine if the county decided to put the jail next to your church or your child’s school; you would not agree with that decision or vote for that site. Now imagine that the county decided to put the jail next to your home. You certainly would have a problem with that site and you would hope and pray that your fellow citizens would support your opposition to such an inappropriate and incompatible addition to your neighborhood.

If Washington County voters approve the new taxes for the jail on June 9th, they will also be approving a jail site that is in the middle of a neighborhood. One family on Oak will literally walk out of their front door, walk across the street, and be on the jail campus. When they sit on their front porch, they will be looking at a jail. May it never be!

If Washington County voters approve the new taxes for the jail on June 9th, what will history say about that decision? Will it be a flagrant example of maltreatment of the poor? Will it be viewed as a discriminatory act against the African-American community? Will it a brazen illustration of the powerful taking advantage of the weak?

I urge Washington County voters to exercise the Golden Rule when you step into the voting booth on June 9th; do to others what you would have them do to you.

Sincerely,

Sonja Settle


After Sonja sent out this email, she received an inquiry about what her solution would be if we all voted no. Here is how she responded:

I think that that is a great question; thank you for taking the time to ask!

First, this problem (what happens if we vote no) would not be a problem if the County had not "jumped the gun" and purchased the property BEFORE it was properly zoned. If they had not done that last year, then when the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission voted down their proposal to rezone for a jail (on May 27th, last year) then the county could have "dusted themselves off" and proceeded with their plans on another site. They quite possibly could have broken ground on something during this past year. Instead, their problem then became the City's (as in City Council) when the County appealed the MAPC decision. The City Council knew it was wrong, which was why they first voted NOT to rezone to allow for the jail. And then they broke their own statute (and the law) when they revoted a week later. And now, here we are -- again . . .

I still say that this problem is THEIRS (the County's) not ours. I believe that they should sell the property and start over with plans on a different site that is at least 1/4 mile away from a residential area (like their own Treanor Report recommends). I have heard of many different businesses and prospects thrown around about what would go great there; my personal favorite would be for someone to develop loft apartments or for Habitat for Humanity to buy it. Other ideas have been a neighborhood grocery/market. Or a Christian school. Or a baseball field. Restaurants. And such a plan could be worked out with the help of the BDC.

Also, you will hear the argument that the jail needs to be near the courthouse because of transport issues. However, a police official, whom I will allow to remain anonymous, stated that transport is NOT an issue because they have to pick these prisoners up all over the county anyway to bring them here. (I think he has possibly done a 180 on this statement). Therefore, there are LOTS of viable sites that do not involve a neighborhood.

The bottom line is that these neighbors went through the proper procedures (months of work to get the formal petition filed), and yet were treated with a different standard than any other neighborhood would have been treated. It is a flagrant example of "unequal weight and measure"; and it shows a weakness in our local government.


Proverbs 29:7
The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.
Proverbs 21:13
If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.
Proverbs 19:17
He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.