The ugliness of littering
IN THE CITY
Those of you in my generation might remember the television commercials depicting the Native American man dressed in traditional garb standing watch over an American roadway with a tear in his eye, as thoughtless occupants in a vehicle throw their trash onto the highway.
The idea was that the original inhabitants of this land now had to helplessly watch as people with no regard literally “trash” their homeland. It was such an impactful series of commercials that to this day, littering is on the very short list of most offensive crimes (albeit with little consequence) I know.
There are those who say littering is a component of the “Broken Window Theory,” which basically says little crimes which go unaddressed like a broken window in an abandoned house lead to bigger crimes like breaking all of the windows out and burning the house down.
Littering also signifies in some respects that people have stopped caring about their neighborhood or the wider area. They are not invested in the community in which they live and simply don’t care. Apathy spreads, ultimately seeping into the sub-consciousness of those living in these areas. Before anyone understands what happened, the community is in despair and decay is rampant.
Northern Maine and Presque Isle in particular is a beautiful place with natural resources and landscapes the rest of the world only dreams about. However, there are some people who fail to appreciate what this area has to offer and for their own selfish reasons toss their garbage along the roadside without any regard for the rest of us or the land itself.
A community like Presque Isle, which is always looking for opportunities to have visitors as tourists, customers, or family and friends can’t afford to permit the ugliness of littering to pervade our existence.
The winter melt always showcases the litter which built up over the winter months only to be hidden by snow. It may seem petty to some but where possible the Presque Isle Police Department will charge any violations we can prove. We understand the diminishing effect this crime has on our community.
We also challenge those of you who feel like we do, to get out and help pick up some of the litter left behind. We know it’s not your job just like it’s not our job but together we can make a difference in our neighborhoods which is immediate and noticeable not to mention it’s simply the right thing to do.
After Officer McLaughlin picked up several bags of trash the other day, she took this photo. Believe me, there’s whole lot more out there!
Chief Matthew J. Irwin of the Presque Isle Police Department can be reached at 764-2535 or via email at mirwin@presqueisleme.us.
