OPINION
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Simmermon: After moving to a new house, columnist returns to find valuables stolen
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2007 PAGE 9A
Garvey: The Michael Vick case is too complex to make early judgments
EDITORIAL BOARD
Police use vehicles confiscated in drug cases
City law enforcement officials begin flaunting drug dealers' cars, complete with stickers
imagine, if you will, the next time you're driving down town and you see an
all-black Cadillac Escalade, on black 24-inch rims, with dark, limo-tinted windows. Now, that doesn't seem to appear that out of the ordinary, especially in a college town with a lot of wealthy kids. But let's put a spin on that. As the Escalade drives away, the back window displays this writing in big, bold white letters: "This Used To Be A Drug Dealer's Car, Now Its Ours... Lawrence Police." Seem hard to imagine? Well, it shouldn't be. Government agencies across the country have been implementing like programs in cities such as Tulsa, Okla., where a similar white Escalade displayed the writing courtesy of the Tulsa Police Department. Next time you're in Tulsa and you almost break your neck trying to see
who's in that shiny, brand new tricked out SUV, be aware that it could be a cop, with a drug dealer's ride.
When someone is arrested on drug-related charges, all possessions that have been purchased with the help of the profits received from selling illegal drugs are awarded as possessions to the city by the courts. These items are then sold or auctioned off with the proceeds going to the city or the state. However, in the case of the Tulsa Police Department, for the past few years they have been taking these drug dealers' vehicles and placing decals on them, so they appear like police cars. Several of the vehicles that are confiscated have also been and continue to be used as undercover vehicles.
According to officials, the
motivation behind this is to send the message that using and selling drugs is not profitable. Our concern is the fact that this tactic doesn't seem to be reducing the illegal drug market. While an obvious statement, confiscation remains just that: a statement. We're curious to see if this will have any long-term effects, or if it's just for show.
What we are left with are cops riding in luxury, parading and flaunting the fact that they're sitting in a car that was bought with dope money. Yes, we get the message: the only ones who profits from the selling of drugs are the cops, and the ones who suffer are the car companies.
The cars dealers' image is now associated with crime. What honest businessman wants to get a nice, family-sized
SUV that has now been associated with dealing drugs? People won't be able to tell if he's driving down the road in his own honest, earned and purchased vehicle or whether he's a cop or even a drug dealer. Whether or not Lawrence will follow the trend, we're not sure. No one at the Lawrence Police Department was available to comment on the matter at the time.
Either way, if they do team up with the other agencies and departments that are doing this, having a nice ride is not going to mean the same thing anymore. Whether you're a grown man or a young co-ed driving the car your parents bought you, people will be looking at the back window of every clean vehicle that passes by, wondering: drug dealer or cop?
THE DURBIN DISPATCH
Traditions deserve respect from companies
While they contribute to the community, new businesses should be mindful of institutions
Four large losses will be experienced throughout KU this fall with the demolition of a historic piece of campus ground. Decisions this summer have cleared the way for a local group seeking to develop a seven-story "Eldridge on the Hill" hotel, a reference to the downtown Eldridge Hotel, on the historic rim of campus. The "Eldridge on the Hill" would be located on the corner of 12th and Indiana, the current home of The Crossing (which will remain open), Beat the Bookstore, Big 12 Burritos, and the former home of Yello Sub.
Although the "Eldridge on the Hill" would be a valuable addition to the community, and that it would vastly improve the "skyline" of Lawrence, the truth is that it's taking away a
cornerstone of campus. The most frustrating thing about this idea is the tosse-up meaning of the word tradition. The Eldridge is known around the community as a historic site downtown, full of tradition, but the "Eldridge on the Hill" is disregarding the tradition of student-oriented locations on campus. When thinking of the word tradition, a bar and a sub shop are not necessarily the first things that come to mind, but, to many here on campus, Yello Sub and the other businesses symbolize
a celebration after finals, a place to meet friends between classes, the hangout on a warm summer day, or just a place to end the night. With the removal of these local establishments, we are not only denying incoming freshman the ability to experience such traditions, but we are demolishing memories and experiences played out on that block of KU campus.
Understanding the foundation for such an idea is hard to understand, especially when the incoming business does nothing to cater for the current students of KU or its traditions. Is the loss of four locally owned businesses—a legendary sub shop, an affordable bookstore, and a delicious burritos joint—really worth losing to a hotel that has another location 1.12 miles away? I think not.
Durbin is a Hays junior in journalism and English.
DRAWING BOARD
MOUNTAIN DEW AT MIDNIGHT
Construction causes major frustration
While meant for improvement, campus construction projects cause inconvenience
I feel like a misleading salesman is running my college. He keeps promising a new and improved campus with spifty services, yet these things are still under construction. And the construction either closes campus down or makes it hard to access.
Some improvements are needed. The additional offices in Wescoe Hall can now house more professors, and the Student Recreation and Fitness Center expansions will add additional studio space for more sports and activities.
However, until these projects get
is a mess. It's an awful inconvenience to close the Underground in Wescoe due to construction. I mean, seriously, it's the only dining on campus with Chick-Fil-A!
even need to put a punch line here to get a laugh. I'd like to add that this news release is titled "Site for new KU football facility won't impair views of Campanile Hill."
Also, it's annoying to go work out and relieve some
According to the KU Parking and Transit Web site, the parking lot west of the stadium is expanded and now open. Students can access it from 11th and Maine. I am glad the parking promise was kept because now I'm even FARTHER from the student union and classes but, hey, I'm only two feet from the stadium! And I still have a spectacular view of Campanile!
However, I can't say the same for the new football practice facility and practice fields over by the stadium. If you've driven by there lately it looks like the movie set for "Antz." Apparently practice fields that affect one team are worth more than parking for people paying to get an education on campus.
Chancellor Hemengway promised, in a KU news release on May 12, 2006, that every displaced parking spot would be replaced. The construction for the fields and parking lots would begin in Summer 2007 and end before classes start. I don't
stress only to find out that the track is closed "due to construction." Or the machines you like to watch buff men work out on are gone because they've been moved because the entire wall of the building has been knocked down. It's even more annoying when you realize you are paying with your student fees to use this gym that's constantly closed.
According to the article "Completion of renovations delayed," from the July 25 Kansan, the setbacks on the SRFC expansion are due to heavy rains and the rising cost of lumber. At least the director of Recreation Services acknowledges the construction isn't on schedule and apologizes in advance for shutting things down.
Another approaching inconvenience will be Wescoe's new ventilation system, a two-year project ("Study shows no link to brain tumors", from the July 25 Kansan). During this process, many professors will have to move their offices. These offices could be somewhere near 6th and Wakarusa.
Improvements need to be made but timeliness is a key factor. If a project is to be completed when classes start, don't start construction in late July.
Plus, it's a good idea to consider how many people you are inconveniencing, and if your solution for these people is just as good or better than what they had before. However, alumni have donated a few of these additions, like the Docking Family Gateway fountain and the new football facility; we can't decide what they do with their money. I shall donate ski lifts and a 20-storey parking garage, promising to complete them by Fall of Sometimes In This Millennium. And then maybe I'll add a gold statue of myself.
Hartz is a Stilwell junior in Creative Writing.
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Hey man, I saw you going barefoot on Monday, about five o'clock or so. I was just curious about one thing. How is it you are able to stay on the pavement being so hot?
I miss Lawrence, where the only people who bitch about bad driving are the ones who are bad drivers. I'm in San Francisco, and it's exactly the opposite
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The Editorial Board
Erick R. Schmidt, Eric Jorgensen,
Darla Silke, Kelsey Hayes, Bryan
Dykman, Brandon T. Minister, Angelique
McNaughton and Benjamin R. Smith
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