Member-only story
About a month ago, Kate Brown, Democratic governor of OR, in an effort to increase compliance with COVID-19 restrictions, urged people to call the cops on those not observing such restrictions.
Here is one link:
Ms. Brown likened it to calling the cops on your neighbors because they won’t turn the music down.
Much as I relate to Ms. Brown’s wish to get a handle on COVID and her apparent good intentions, I (along with numerous others, including Oregonians) think this is a terrible idea.
Why?
There are several reasons.
The 1st: the cops just might come.
Then some other reasons kick in.
Some liken Brown’s recommendation to what happened during the reign of the fascist Gestapo. Or under totalitarian Communist rule. The government turning citizen against citizen. People spy on each other. Neighbors report neighbors to the cops. One doesn’t know whom to trust. Everyone is on edge.
Your neighbors are people near whom you live, regardless whether you rent or own. Geography forces you to interact with them on some level. Relating to them is not simply ‘one and done.’
