“This is what our state has become”
by Pam Baker
Who would you call if your neighbor began firing his handgun at your house on a bright and sunny morning in January?
Well, the home closest to us (about 400 ft from ours), was being fired upon by their neighbor that backs their place. This person cohabitates with the daughter of my neighbor. He is the father of one of the small children in this home. He doesn’t have a job and among other things, he has a long history with difficulty with law enforcement. He hasn’t spent any time behind bars, but his name and his family name are well known to the local LEO’s. I am purposefully leaving out names as this is not my story to tell but the family encouraged me to write the story and they have approved it. So here goes.
One morning just over a week ago, this man had the second episode of chaotic and aggressive behavior that week. He was angry at my neighbor for things a father would normally say to the man who sponges off his daughter.
So, the man got into a fight with the girlfriend, the daughter, who promptly gathered up the small children and drove the quarter of a mile around to her father’s home, my neighbor. Whereupon the out-of-control man stood on the back deck of his girlfriend’s home and began firing his handgun at the home of his girlfriend’s father, which is where his girlfriend and his child had just retreated to, in order to be safe. He fired an unknown number of rounds at the home, which is about 200 ft distance.
At this point, another member of my neighbor’s household called 911 and eventually was redirected to the Vermont State Police, who has the contract for our town, and was told no one was coming to respond because “he was just blowing off steam” and “we are NOT getting in a firefight with blank blank.” “You are safe, and no one is hurt so we aren’t coming.”
The caller pleaded with the dispatcher to no avail. The next business day, the family, our immediate neighbors, attempted to get an order of protection, which was denied by a judge. The daughter/girlfriend vacillates between wanting him removed and sticking up for him, a textbook case of someone in the clutches of domestic violence. Child Protection Services were called, and they declined to get involved.
I can’t make up this nonsense. I have purposefully left out details which would provide no meaningful information, to protect the situation.
This is what our state has become… our world has become. No one is coming to save you. You must save yourself. We are inches away from a world where the Rule of Law is nonexistent. I do not say this as gossip or hyperbole, but as a lesson. I urge you to take some qualified self-defense classes with handguns that includes scenarios, and also includes the laws in your state, so that you can hone your judgment. Because I learned a great deal on Saturday in one such class. What you think you know, you don’t.
Be Safe.
The author is a Vermonter and frequent VDC commentary writer and commenter.