“Why do you have a blue light in front of your house?”
The question came from a 10-year-old girl who was looking, puzzled at my front door.
“That’s for Sgt. Sean Gannon,” I told her.
“Oh,” she said. Then she followed up with, “There are a lot of blue bows around, too. Are those for him, too? It’s all so sad.”
It is very sad. All of Cape Cod is mourning the loss of murdered Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon. But there is something good about all the blue lights and ribbons and flags, too.
After all the sadness and anger and frustration, continuing to keep the lights on and the ribbons up shows support for our local law enforcement officers. It’s a comfort to drive through neighborhoods and see how many people are continuing to show their support and respect for our police officers.
We have also had enough of the “bad guys.” I will not name the cockroach who “allegedly” murdered Sgt. Gannon and shot K-9 Nero. I will refer to him the way the Yarmouth Police have begun to refer to him: “125.” He does not deserve the courtesy to have his name in print. I will save that occasion for the day his name is matched with the word “guilty,” with an appropriate punishment. The number “125” stands for the number of complaints filed against him that date back to 2005.
Again and again, people are asking how someone with so many arrests could be free to walk the streets.
The truth is, there is no one single answer. On the surface, many people are jumping to blame the judges. It is NOT always the judge’s fault. The court system is a complex web of threads and knots and paperwork and schedules and people and, although I feel the need to put my faith in the system, it is far from perfect and may very well be broken in this situation.
There are two cases the public seems to be focusing on and both involve charges of assault with a dangerous weapon against “125.” One case was a domestic abuse case and the other involved a stabbing. In each case, the victim refused to testify.
If a victim or witness refuses to testify, there is very little a judge can do. Third party statements are hearsay and rarely hold up. Cases are often dismissed due to lack of evidence and testimony. Once a case is dismissed, it done. It happens more often than anyone realizes. The accused walk out of court and rejoin their regular routines.
Without a law degree, it can be frustrating and confusing to understand what happens in criminal court.
This week, we watch as our neighbors in Maine are now reeling from the murder of one of their own sheriffs. As an added kick in the gut, the “suspected” shooter had been arrested in Massachusetts for weapons violations. A judge originally set a $10,000 bail, which was then reduced to $7,500 and then reduced again to $5,000. Someone presented a case to a judge to lower the bail… TWICE!
I am as bewildered and shocked and as angry and sad as anyone else. There are no words strong enough to describe my feelings right now.
WE NEED TO STOP THE VIOLENCE! But… how?
As a community we came together. Now, as a community we need to STAND together. We need to keep communications open with our representatives. We need to be vigilant about who we elect to public offices and we need to know who our neighbors are and teach our children to be morally responsible adults who have respect for the people around them.
We need to show support for those people who put themselves between us and those who do harm. We need to show support for the men and women who, even in their grief after the shocking loss of one of their own, continue to show up to burglar alarms and traffic accidents and construction details and schools and rec centers and parades.
We need to KEEP CAPE COD BLUE and continue to be vigilant that something within the judicial system has to change. Keep the blue ribbons up to line the streets and keep the blue lights on your porches and in your businesses. Show our politicians and policemen that we are in this for the long-haul, and not just a week or a month.
We also need to be patient. Long-term change takes a long time to happen. This is not a “quick-fix” situation. It took us a very long time to get into the situation we are in with the judicial system and it will take a while for us to get out of it.
In the meantime, let’s keep Cape Cod BLUE along with the rest of Massachusetts, Maine, Texas, Florida, Kentucky, California, Missouri, Indiana, Alabama, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Mississippi, Colorado, South Carolina, Washington and Puerto Rico.
#TurnCapeCodBlue
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