Huckleberries: Some too extreme in response to dog’s shooting

The anger over the July 9 police shooting of 2-year-old black Labrador Arfee in downtown Coeur d’Alene is understandable. But some concerned citizens have gone too far.

Huckleberries has perused emails fielded by the police department and city of Coeur d’Alene. Many are vulgar. Some threaten the police officer involved. One suggested that the officer who killed Arfee be shot in the chest with his own gun. Unhinged? You be the judge.

Example: “A man with a receding hairline and no morals known as (interim Chief Ron Clark) is currently aiding and abetting the murderer, hiding him from the public.” Murderer? Next: “Nothing would make me happier tonight than to hear that your ‘distraught’ officer was gunned down in the line of duty in the same cowardly way he treated that dog.” Crazy talk. And: “Fire the cowardly, untrained, officer that shot the (NOT PitBull). Pathetic police work, I hope all the worst for your department.”

And these are the comments I can print in a family newspaper. Some emailers kept their comments between the lines of reasonable public concern about the shooting. But many in the cyber lynch mob didn’t.

Working on it

And the answer is: The city’s working on it. The question: What’s with that large mud pit in the southwest corner of new McEuen Park? Seems the 60,000-gallon holding tank below the Harbor House (restroom/refreshment area near Third Street entrance to Tubbs Hill) is overflowing. The tank is used to irrigate the park and provide water for the children’s splash pad. The overflow unexpectedly is backing up into the nearby park swale. Stay tuned … Committeeman Bjorn Handeen of Coeur d’Alene’s GOPrecinct 52 will introduce a “Dog Protection Resolution” at the Central Committee meeting Tuesday, patterned after Colorado law. This, in wake of the shooting of black Lab Arfee at Java on Sherman. Again, stay tuned.

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner: “They spread out from the garden/and quiet as a mouse/stretched across the whole backyard – /I fear they’ll take our house” – The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Cucumbers”) … TeeHee Shirt message seen on grounds of S-R’s Coeur d’Alene bureau Friday morning: “Don’t rush me – I’m paid by the hour” … Tongue firmly cheeked, Glenn Jacklin of Jacklin Seed Co. fame emails Huckleberries re: hazy skies from Central Washington wildfires: “Back in the old days, the media and public would be blaming all this haze and smoke on the grass growers.” Notice he didn’t say “good old days”? … The vanity plate on the out-of-state vehicle stopped by an ISP officer on I-90 at Northwest Boulevard, Coeur d’Alene, Friday morning seemed appropriate: “BOOHOO” … As you know, Idaho often gets mixed up with Iowa. It has happened for years. In fact, Cis Gors of Bonner County recalls: “My father’s obit listed me living in Iowa – Sandpoint, Iowa.” Ouch … Earth to driver in brown Toyota Corolla who was putting on her makeup on Seltice Way in Post Falls at 4:02 p.m. Friday – Knock it off … Huckleberries Online poll: 62 percent of Hucks Nation sez the 12 responding officers acted professionally in a shootout with suspect Marcus Rael at I-90/Post Falls June 22.

Parting shot

A Facebook friend offers this food for thought regarding the Coeur d’Alene dog shooting: “The whole cop-shooting-dog thing has made me think: Here we have someone that is trained with arms (with) at least 10 times the number of hours of training with a sidearm than the average person. And the gun is (allegedly) used irresponsibly. Yet there are people that want no regulations on who can have guns? Let it be a free-for-all? What could go wrong with that?” Anyone?