Border Patrol supporters gather at city hall
September 9th, 2010 - 6:03am
(Port Angeles) -- Port Angeles City Council members, and visitors to Tuesday night's council meeting, were greeted in front
of the building by about 20 poster-carrying people
supporting the U-S Border Patrol.
Recently, the agency
announced plans to expand its workforce to about 50
agents, and also to purchase a larger piece of property
than what they have now, which is a small space in the
downtown Port Angeles federal building.
The unofficial word is that they expect to make
a purchase offer for the Eagles building and property,
at First and Penn streets, although no offer has been
made yet.
During the council's public comment time, two
different points of view were expressed. Lois Danks,
Coordinator of the "Stop the Checkpoints" committee,
questioned the need for more Border Patrol officers,
saying the Port Angeles area was becoming
"militarized", and there's no need for it.
Also speaking, but taking opposite tack, was Bob
McGonigal, who said too many local people are going out
of their way to make the Border Patrol officers feel
unwelcome. He said some of the officers have told
their school-aged kids not to tell their classmates
what their fathers do for a living, and he thinks
a strong deterrent force like the Border Patrol will
help keep out people like convicted terrorist Ahmad Ressam,
who was captured on the Port Angeles waterfront in 1999.
Email This Story
LATEST NEWS ITEMS:
