Wednesday, May 27, 1998
In the fifth century a band of marauders ransacked Rome. Their legacy was twofold: they changed the course of European history and their name, Vandals, became synonymous with wanton, unprovoked, malicious destruction.
There has been an outbreak of appropriately named vandalism in Yellowknife recently and it is disturbing. Police report that dozens of cars have had their tires slashed and windows broken, among other things.
Perhaps most alarming was the wholesale slashing of tires that took place at Powder Point, where people had parked their vehicles to head out for recreation on the Ingraham Trail.
Besides the stunning thoughtlessness and inexcusable selfishness of this act of destruction, there is a safety issue involved.
There are any number of reasons why people returning to Powder Point from a day on the water or hiking would need the immediate use of their vehicle. Anticipating emergencies is the way sensible people approach the outdoors.
To arrive back at your car, needing to get back to town only to find that vandals had flattened all your tires could be more than irritating, it could be life-threatening.
There is room in this world for pranks and practical jokes. There is, among most people, a degree of understanding for a prank gone awry or playful enthusiasm getting out of hand. There is no room for the wilful destruction of property. There is no room for needlessly jeopardizing people's safety.
Putting an end to this wave of vandalism is everyone's responsibility. People can help the police by keeping an eye the street or the parking lot. Getting Crime Stoppers involved might help bring the vandals to justice. And the courts should not be lenient with the convicted.
One of the North's many virtues is the unwritten rule of co-operation and respect for each other. Surely that neighborliness is worth preserving.
Whatever the outcome of the ratepayers' lawsuit against the city's old habit of holding secret meetings, one thing is certain: the battle was in the public interest.
Without pressure from the Yellowknife Property Owners Association last year, the practice never would have been scrapped. And what we have learned through the lawsuit proceedings about what went on during those secret meetings has shed valuable light on the workings of city hall.
The lawsuit has been an expensive endeavor for the ratepayers, one that no one asked them to undertake and for which we should be grateful. They deserve to have their court costs repaid, either by the city or a public fundraising campaign.
When it comes to dedicating buildings in the name of well-known people, politics often plays a larger role than it should. That is not the case with the dedication of the St. Patrick high school gymnasium in memory of Dennis Crane.
Crane is the perfect choice if the values of fairness, sportsmanship, congeniality and intelligence are to be instilled in the students using the gym.
His sunny disposition and impish sense of humor attracted friends from all over the North. Ever modest about substantial accomplishments, Crane was also a great storyteller and many tales are told upon mention of his name.
The dedication is a solid foundation for a building that will make the community stronger, in a nice Dennis Crane kind of way.