Desert Messenger

November 2, 2011

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November 2, 2011 Perspectives Quirky Quartzsite's Contributed by Violet Kiss Todays' thought is on children: ours, yours, theirs or the community's, whether they are our direct or indi- rect children, grandchildren or even great grandchil- dren (if we are so lucky). On September 7, 2011 at 'Cof- fee With Cops' to be exact, a subject came up by one of our townspeople on why police were having breakfast at The Eatery instead of watching the kids crossing the street to school. He criticized that no police officer was at the school that day, the day before, or the day be- fore that. I was there and listened in amazement. My first thought was, "since when were the Police 'Crossing Guards'"? When I heard the speaker finish, the more important question to be answered is, "WHO should be watching the children"? Another citizen asked why police had to be at the school, were things THAT bad? Police Chief Gilbert responded with, "of course not". The complainer kept bugging the Chief saying he told him about it the day before and why weren't police there. Calming things down, as he always does in his pleasing yet professional manner, Chief Gilbert answered the complainer by first saying he told him the day before he would look into it. Answering the lady who asked the earlier question, Chief said, "no one is required to be there but a parent asked for our presence a few years ago and I thought it was a good idea". Alex Taft [Town Manager] spoke up and said there was a new grant the town was working on called "Safe Routes to School". That seemed to please the critic for a while. Yet, the complainer kept egging the Chief on with why wasn't there a presence at the school over and over again. Another townsperson asked, "Can't you find parents or others to watch? Maybe you should be in- volved more." Good question. SWEET DARLENE'S RESTAURANT & BAKERY Specials starting at 11am Mon. Meatloaf Sandwich...................$ 750 Tues. Spaghetti .................................$ 750 Chicken Cacciatore...................$ 795 Wed. $1 TACOS! 2 Tacos Dinner........$ 795 Thur. Prime Rib Sandwich .................$ 795 Ground Round or Liver & Onions... $ 795 Fri. Chicken Tenders..................... $ Beer Battered Jumbo Cod ........$ 795 695 Sat. Jumbo Chicken Fried Steak.......$ Half-Rack of Ribs ....................$ 795 995 Open Daily 7am-7pm Coffee only 50¢ 776 E. MAIN ST., QUARTZSITE (at the I-10 Exit 19 off ramp) 928-927-9338 www.Desert Messenger.com I am concerned why a parent of school children would expect a Police Officer to work as a crossing guard in- stead of doing police work? When there is a changing of shifts or mealtimes, officers may not have a meal? As Snowbirds, Vendors, Visitors and other Transients start coming into Quartzsite and stay or visit here for the next 4-6 months, does that not require more po- lice to be on hand to protect the community and the town as a whole? If our small town of Quartzsite goes from 3,500 townspeople in the summer and then up to 300,000 in the Winter and several hundred thousand more just visiting, don't we need and expect our Po- lice to take care of us all and our environment? With this unbelievable increase and taxing of all services, our children also do need more supervision and help. But, let's get back to, "Who should be watching the chil- dren"? As we look across our wonderful country and many of us came from other states, we see children for gen- erations going to school, on foot or by parents' cars or by local school buses. I am sure we can all remem- IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO AL'S YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO QUARTZSITE! Famous Gourmet Pizza Daily Lunch & Dinner Specials! KARAOKE Full Service Bar Thurs. Fri. Sat. 7pm 2 HAPPY HOURS: $1 DRAFT 10am-noon & 3:30pm-5:30pm Kitchen Open 10am-10pm 175 E. Main St. 928-927-5585 Serving Quartsite at Same Location for over 20 years! Page 15 ber going to school, whether you are in your 30's, 40's, 50's and beyond. Do you remember Crossing Guards? I surely do. I remember their smiling faces giving of their time to make sure we were protected at all times before, during and after school. Were they the Police? Of course not. We expected the Police to take care of the town from criminals, crime, and be there for us when there was trouble. We saw the Officers' smiling faces as well when we walked down the street and knew (as children) that we could always count on them when we needed them. So who were these Crossing Guards? As I remember them and as I have asked others, they were volunteers either from the local neighborhood near the schools, or they were gathered from the PTA, Booster Clubs, Re- tirees and other 'caring' parents who wanted their own kids and others safe and watched after. This can eas- ily be accomplished by our own parents of children at- tending the schools, PTA and other people who would love to volunteer their time unselfishly. SEE PERSPECTIVES ON PAGE 22 SWEET DARLENE'S RESTAURANT & BAKERY Winter Breakfast Specials Bacon & Eggs...........$ 350 Big Five .....................$ 450 Big Deal......................$ Stacker Bowl.............$ Western Scramble...$ 399 495 299 Open Daily 7am-7pm Coffee only 50¢ 776 E. MAIN ST., QUARTZSITE (at the I-10 Exit 19 off ramp) 928-927-9338 La Casa Del Rancho MEXICAN & AMERICAN FOOD TACO TUESDAY IS BACK! $ SOMBRERO! Orders to go! ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT CLAM STRIPS $ 1 TACOS! FRIDAY 995 BREAKFAST - LUNCH - DINNER 7AM -7PM 70 N. Central, Quartzsite (one block north of Shell, Hwy. 95) 928-927-6610 WE'RE BACK! OPEN SOON Bad Boys Cafe BREAKFAST AND LUNCH Quartzsite Marketplace 50 E. Kuehn, space 23 Open daily 7am-2:30pm (Closed Wed. during Dec.) Breakfast Served All Day! the Famous Home of

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