Activists Asked Not to ‘Help’

During the summer, I attended a Placentia City Council meeting to join in protesting an assessment for a park located near our homes. The assessment increased from $98 this year to $298 in 1996-97. As your paper reported, the City Council, after hearing our protests, reduced the assessment.

Before the meeting, I and several other Placentia residents were approached by a few people from a group calling itself the Committees of Correspondence, who, according to their handouts, are a coalition of anti-tax and civic watchdog organizations from several cities. I had read about this committee in the paper before. Some of their members were present at our council meeting to “help us fight this unjust tax.”

As soon as the meeting began, a committee member from Orange got up and gave the most rambling, inarticulate speech against taxes and government in general I have ever heard. She set the tone for the rest of her group. Each person berated our council, and pronounced themselves opposed to the tyranny of our council. I felt as if I were attending a meeting of the Montana militia. These tirades were not only rude and childish, they did nothing to help our protest. I heard several of my fellow residents tell these people to be quiet and sit down so we could get on with our business.

As far as I could tell, the Committees of Correspondence is composed of people who enjoy hearing themselves speak (which they don’t do very well), don’t like government for its own sake, and are unable to offer any solution other than to insult elected officials. Fortunately, there were enough responsible Placentia residents present to make our opposition clear and work out a solution. So I have a message for the committee: If we want your help, we’ll ask for it. Otherwise, please stay wherever it is you came from.

TIM CAMPBELL

Placentia