HOW I SEE IT: Jenkins explains his gun ordinance vote
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Steve Jenkins
Published: September 24, 2008
As a member of the Town Council, I did not support the recently proposed regulations on firing guns in town.
However, I wanted you, the citizens, to know my decision — contrary to the assertion in Gordon Meriwether’s Sept. 18 column titled “Town Council trick or treat” — was not the result of being bullied or intimidated.
My decision not to support the recommendation coming from Chief of Police Scott Barlow was based on having lived in the town of Culpeper for 47 years and the knowledge that individuals shooting firearms in town are killing varmints mostly destroying their gardens.
Also, I received no phone calls from residents asking that the town adopt the proposed regulation.
On the contrary, I received many calls from town residents, mostly those who have lived here for many years and not just a couple of years, totally against the recommendation.
Mr. Meriwether took excep-tion to individuals having their pistols on their sides, not concealed.
This is their constitutional right, and I certainly support it.
Those who were at the meeting don’t concern me; it is the individual with the hidden weapon who does.
I found it humorous that Mr. Meriwether took offense to a constitutional right, yet in his past columns he has supported illegal aliens in our community and he has argued against enforcing our country’s laws and addressing a community problem.
A question I would have for Mr. Meriwether is this: What does Vienna have to do with Culpeper?
Welcome to the country, what little bit we still have left, Mr. Meriwether.
The individuals who spoke against the proposed ordinance did so in a respectful and considerate manner.
There was only one speaker who became antagonistic, and Mr. Meriwether should know him well.
Steve Jenkins is a resident of Culpeper and a Town Council member.
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( rogersk ) on September 27, 2008 at 9:20 am
mema…What are you saying???? IF you really want to make your point,make your writings in less of a jig saw puzzle mode. This detracts from your ideas which I am sure are valid but difficult to decipher.
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Posted by ( mema ) on September 26, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I am So Sorry, I got caught up in Posted Comments and Totally forgot to comment on this article!....Augh Heck No, No GUNS in Town!!, Only For My Local Police!!!...Some ‘Crazy’ Locals will be taking POP Shots at Hispanics!FOR Sure!..They are ALREADY doing it in this comment section! Imagine if They Had Guns in Hand!...I have Pets and they are confined and for 6 years they have Never been attacked or Never been Lunch for any local Wild animals!!(a couple chickens= Prime food for Fox, Raccoon and Others))...This is another of Jenkins Farces!....This is down right dangerous and detrimental to everyones wellbeing!....Does anyone realize how far a bullet can travel!???? Oh My God, NO, No, No!!!!....Buy a Trap if you have a problem, contact the Humane Society, they will Loan you one!!!!.Relocate those guys bothering your Trash….!!!.....Do Not Start taking Shots in the air!.....My grandchildren play in the yard and if Anyone Allows this to happen, You will be putting my Babies Lives on the Line!....Crazy!
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Posted by ( mema ) on September 26, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Ok. Someone set me straight…Illegal Hispanics enter Border Towns from States such as Texas, Arizona, California…This is the Illegal Entrance/Crossing, RIGHT?, Crossing/Stepping Foot on these boarders into USA= into ‘Other States’...Not Virginia, my Map shows Va. as a Far Cry from Texas!....Ok, my problem seems to be, Not understanding the Never ending Issue of People living in Our Town because they are Hispanics and crossed “our” Boarder Illegally, was This North Carolina or West Virginia? Help me out here!..Not everyone Understands Undocumented Worker or the True process of Legalization…Also, Exactly how many Hispanics have Raised their Voices to Proclaim they are Illegal, since All the Local Folks here seem to be Extremely Worried about All these Illegals Roaming around Town due to High Volume Publicity!..Do we have even One that has showed up at a Town Meetings to Proclaim his Fame?...I searched other Boarder Towns Local Newspapers and they hardly made mention of such happenings of ICE Attacks and they are Boarder Towns!..I thought ICE was like the FBI and They see You and You do Not see them!..So Why were All the Detail Actions of ICE so Proudly Proclaimed in our Local News?..Now this really Makes citizens feel Sooo Safe. Will This Notorial Harrassment ever end? The Police Officers in this Town have enough to do just Keeping Us Safe! Without the Further problems of Alarming Everyone to an Invasion of Illegals!...Do Not Underestimate The Police Dept., They are Not in Any way Predjudicial…Nor do They Zoom into One Race or The Other…....Ok, Now My Big Question is= Who is ‘Jenkins’ working for, I feel as if after such Long Time Fame of Immigration Policy that he is a Fall Guy for Someone Else…He seems to Create Problems Not Be a person of Solutions .. Could we Have a Good Ole Boys Club, here in Culpeper??....Attys. out there, You May be able to set me straight…...Maybe an informative Article as to exactly what it takes to have a ‘Change of Status’ from Illegal Entrance to obtaining Legalization, Green Card!......Oh Yeah, thats Right, in 2002, No Back up plan and Now Illegal “Entrance” does Not give you any Hope of This Legalization!= that Green Card, Residency Card….Catch 22…......Immigration Reform, guess that will Have to wait, in the mean time lets just waste time , money and efforts on a No Win Game and Pray that a Predjudicial Hispanic Never is allowed to be President…...Oh yeah, also as long as Jenkins is on my mind today= “INS is releasing detainees as Fast as they recieve Them, if you can prove “where you live” and you have a “Job!“, You Are OUT!....Sorry Jenkins, You Loose! Your Tactics are Not a Part of the Solution !
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Posted by ( LawMan ) on September 26, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I am glad that you can find humor in life copper. Stick to what you do because you have no understanding of law enforcement. Having friends who are cops doesn’t cut it. You still don’t know the laws, policies and procedures when it comes to illegal aliens. We take illegals as they come. I welcome ICE when they do come which is very seldom.
As to Steve Jenkins. There is proof. Just arrange a public meeting and we will bring people forward with questions and then true answers. Hold him accountable and let the people know that he has no business being serving on Town Council or for that matter any government. Not bashing. Just telling the truth.
Yes it is frustrating to deal with illegals. But that doesn’t make the law change. My personal feelings are kept aside from the law. Anger does not have any involvement in my decision making when it comes to the law and applying it. We are limited to what we can do. Like I said we report illegals to ICE. They decide who goes. Call it defending illegals if you wish. The truth is I am only explaining the laws while you continue to get angry. What does that solve? Absolutely nothing now does it?
Funny but the officers I talk with don’t seem to share your views or opinions. They do their job as they are supposed to do. They surely don’t support Jenkins. They find him to be rather ridiculous and get a good laugh themselves.
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Posted by ( copper ) on September 26, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Lawman, again I’m laughing, cut and paste huh… You write volumes but only repeat what I said THAT THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS WANT ENFORCEMENT OF AND DO NOT DEFEND ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR, so as I said before and I’ll repeat because you’re not reading and comprehending, you defend the illegals and don’t like Steve Jenkins because he wants enforcement like ICE raids. So you provide NO PROOF, only angry words against Steve or others that don’t want illegals in our Town. DO YOU NOW GET IT? As far as being a cop, no, copper as in plumbing. I have many friends who are Deputies and Town Officers as well as two who are Troopers, I respect them for what they do and believe them when they tell me how many illegals they deal with each week and how frustrating it is to deal with the same ones over and over. Maybe you don’t deal with them everyday in your job, but these men do. They also don’t share your bias for defending illegals in this Country. NUFF SAID
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Posted by ( LawMan ) on September 26, 2008 at 7:55 am
We are hardly the majority? That is what should have printed but did not on the cut and paste. Big deal. You obviously don’t know the law. Let me ask you this? Does copper stand for you being a cop? I sure hope not. God help the community if you do serve. You know absolutely nothing about immigration laws or Virginia law. You are nothing more than angry and vent.
Yes Steve Jenkins does want to violate civil rights. He wanted to enforce no loitering ordinances that were ruled unconstitutional just like the no loitering law that the Virginia Assembly passed. That was also ruled unconstitutional.
Get your stuff straight on what Chief Barlow said. He said the vast majority wants enforcement. You need to read and comprehend better.
ICE initiated this raid, not the local police. It’s common practice for ICE to contact us for assistance which they did here. Not every illegal alien is a violent criminal. Just being here unlawfully is not violent. Yes illegal aliens break the law and commit violent crimes. That is not the issue here. The issue is how to deal with it legally. If you support Jenkins then you support his ridiculous actions and suggestions. I don’t. Only a fool would do so.
A good start for you would be to read the Constitution. We can’t pick a choose which rights to request or deny. That is my point with Steve. He picks and chooses. It doesn’t work that way.
90% of illegal aliens we arrest on local charges are released back into society. Why? ICE has limited resources and no place to put them. We contact ICE each time we have an illegal alien in custody. We run them through NCIC. We run an Illegal Alien Inquiry through LESC and their database. We don’t decide who is detained. ICE does. It’s not the responsibility of local police to enforce illegal immigration nor do we have the authority other than 19.2-81.6 of the Virginia Code. Go read it. Most of illegal alien arrests are for no drivers license, public drunkeness, family assault, dui and so on. ICE wants violent crimes and terrorist who are here in this country illegally. ICE makes the rules, not local police.
I don’t hate anyone for the record. You said that. I don’t and will not support Steve Jenkins or anyone else that refuses to obey the rules and put the town in serious litigation. If you think he has so much support from the community I say dream on. Word on the street is that people want him out because of his behavior. Yes they want us to deal with illegal immigration. They just don’t want someone like Steve Jenkins and his suggestions. He only spreads hate throughout the community. That makes even the legal citizens suffer.
Let me ask you this? If your child was in jail and I used excessive force and injured your child how would you feel? Think about it.
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Posted by ( copper ) on September 26, 2008 at 6:26 am
Lawman, you make me laugh, you are correct on one point when you say “we are hardly the majority”, that’s right, most Culpeper Citizens do not defend illegal aliens, only a few of you do. As far as “overwhelmed”, where do you read that in my statements, you clearly didn’t. I suggest you read the ICE article again so that maybe you can comprehend that illegals cause serious problems in this community as stated in the article. You are sadly in denial. Since you keep stating Steve Jenkins is violating citizens rights, how about backing that up with proof such as: what rights are being violated? Whose rights are being violated? When did these acts occur? I await your answers.
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Posted by ( LawMan ) on September 25, 2008 at 5:05 pm
We are hardly the majority. Make sure you understand what you read. I suggest that you go read it again. The charges were federal and the Chief did not say we are overwhelmed with illegal aliens and crime. I know just who is arrested and trust me the legals are the majority of our problem here in Culpeper. As I said the local arrests in this town and violent criminals are legals. Illegals commit minor crimes that ICE won’t deport them on. You continue to miss the point. I do not support illegal behavior. I support the facts and what is correct. That’s why I refuse to support Steve Jenkins who himself supports violating civil rights and refuses to obey the law himself. He is what he is no matter how much you stick up for him. We know the truth and won’t be duped.
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Posted by ( copper ) on September 25, 2008 at 2:04 pm
You spout off alot Lawman, but say very little. Did you not read the Chief’s comments in this paper regarding the problems with illegals and those arrested recently. He clearly stated YOU are in the minority if you feel illegals do not cause seroius problems in Culpeper. Just read the article on ICE agents in Culpeper yesterday, then you will see YOU ARE IN THE MINORITY. As far as Meriwether goes he clearly states those people were “brandishing weapons” at the Town Council meeting, they WERE NOT, open carry is legal but Meriwether wants that changed to be illegal, that is why I stated he wants our rights taken away as well as to make it illegal to shoot ground hogs in Town. I just proved my statements, how bout YOU? You simply have a hate for Steve Jenkins because he wants illegals out of our Town, as Chief Barlow states, YOU are one of the few who wants them here and you continue to make excuses for illegal behavior, but claim you are a cop. Strange…...
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Posted by ( LawMan ) on September 25, 2008 at 9:46 am
At least Steve Jenkins can get one constitutional right correct. When it comes to all other constitutional rights he just throws them carelessly out the window. He supported and suggested such unconstitutional ordinances all stopped in federal courts across the nation. People won’t forget this come election time you can rest assure.
No cowards on Town Council copper. Just one fool in his own corner all out for himself. Illegal aliens running rampant around our community? I was wondering if you had the number of illegal aliens based on factual data or is it just from Hispanic individuals present in the community. I can’t tell one from another just by looking at them. Can you? The legal folks are running rampant robbing our stores, dealing drugs, and so on. Arrest reports on file can prove it. Steve Jenkins is like a cake gone badly. Nice icing on the outside but rotten on the inside. You can’t fool everyone. He surely doesn’t fool me knowing what most of us know about the real Steve.
Meriwether supports taking rights away. Totally wrong. Steve Jenkins wants to take away rights and enforce laws and adopt ordinances his own way. Even more totally wrong. Jenkins still needs to go. The circus must be asked to leave town and the voters certainly have the power to make it leave. I count the days.
Ask Steve if he ever approached a CPD officer at the shopping center telling the officer that he had special permision from the Chief to have officers move the day laborers from the premisis. Then ask him if the officer called the chief(smart move) to only have him tell Jenkins that next time you do this you get arrested for interfering with law enforcement. Sounds like an elected official playing by his own rules!
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