Pubdate: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 Source: Berkshire Eagle, The (Pittsfield, MA) Copyright: 2005 New England Newspapers, Inc. Contact: http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/897 Author: Rebecca Stannard Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?217 (Drug-Free Zones) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/david+capeless FED UP WITH BARRINGTON BULLIES To the Editor of The Eagle: Enough already. We have been listening to the friends, family and lawyers for the Great Barrington drug dealers long enough. These people are not charged with using or possessing drugs. They are charged with selling drugs! That makes them drug dealers. Drugs and those who sell them are a blight on our community, not an accepted part of growing up. It appears, however, that a small group of self-interested people have taken it upon themselves to try and bully this county and its district attorney into ignoring the law and going easy on these drug dealers who were caught red-handed. This group first tried to bully the community into a scare-based campaign and petition drive. The group then tried to bully the DA. When that failed, it went after the assistant district attorneys trying the cases, stalking them in court and verbally harassing them. Now this group has mounted a letter-writing campaign to The Eagle. It apparently is trying to bully the community again, this time with misleading information. First, the school-zone law does not require that the school be in session, nor does it require signs identifying the areas as school zones. Secondly, the law was not created solely to prevent the sale of drugs to children. More accurately, the law sought to create zones of safety around the places our children gather. The purpose is to keep drugs, drug dealers and the crime and violence they leave in their wake away from our children. This group has suggested that the trials of these drug dealers will take up valuable court time, and are therefore a waste of resources. Are they suggesting that because a trial will take a long time that the DA should bargain away the case and ignore the law? Our DA should never make determinations about prosecuting criminals based on how long the trial will last. This group has also suggested alternative methods of punishing these drug dealers. That would require the drug dealers to plead guilty. However, not one of the drug dealers has accepted responsibility for poisoning our community. The group also claims that the DA is refusing to "exercise his discretion." Didn't the DA meet with these people on two separate occasions and listen to their concerns? Making a choice after listening to opposing views is not failing to exercise discretion; it's called making an informed and educated decision. It just happens to not be the one this group wanted. The motives of this group of people are as transparent as their arguments. They claim they are motivated by a desire to change an unjust law. Yet they have not taken up the cause of any other accused drug dealers, just those they have a personal interest in. They have done nothing to change the law. Instead they have tried to bully the DA and community into ignoring the law for these particular people. In the end, I am secure in knowing that while this group is very vocal against the DA, it is very small. The majority of the community does not share its narrow-minded, self-interested agenda. The majority of the community is behind you, Mr. Capeless. Please continue to do your job and stand up to the bullies. Rebecca Stannard Pittsfield - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin