Letters to the Editor
Resident says county falling short on homeless issue
I wrote this to Commissioner Ian Bayne on his YouTube page:
Recently our home in Pahrump was burglarized. They took everything and anything to set up a home and damaged and stole thousands of dollars of our property which we worked for and which was paid for with our hard work and sweat. The sheriff’s hands are tied (or he doesn’t give a damn) in solving the rise in crime. Without the funding for a proper crime unit and facilities for the forensics to be stored, the everyday hard-working citizens will continue to fall victim of the dregs of society who do not want to work or be a productive member of the community.
We have fought to keep all the transient community from squatting and doing their drugs of choice in our community/neighborhood as well as trampling through property they do not own. This has all been without the support of the BOCC (except one or possibly two members) nor the sheriff for the most part.
There are stabbings happening. There are drugs being sold throughout Pahrump and our BOCC is approving funding more for the people causing much of the problem and not funding our law enforcement officers on the street who for the most part - I believe - want to do the real police work necessary to solve the crimes, put the criminals behind bars and clean up our town.
It’s disgusting that the victims are the ones who continue to suffer. We suffer by never seeing these criminals pay for everything they’ve taken from us. We suffer by having to pay for and make the costly repairs for the destruction left in their wake. We suffer by the decisions being made not to fund our law enforcement community so our town can be returned to the low crime area we once had here in Pahrump. We suffer because we pay taxes and get little benefit from those taxes.
Our road isn’t maintained. Our neighborhoods are becoming more riddled with transients walking through it and nothing except a paperwork shuffle when your home is destroyed and thousands stolen. Lip service is what we get. What exactly will it take for the majority of our BOCC to wake up? For the sheriff to fight for lower crime with real police work? Give the deputies the tools needed to solve these crimes. Shouldn’t have to be bloodshed or a call to Vegas for forensics. It is shameful in the United States this is allowed to continue.
Maybe the Trump Administration needs to take a look at possible corruption in the seats being held by local officials. They are destroying our town and the BOCC and sheriff are making it possible and I’d venture to say “allowing” it to happen. One or possibly two BOCCs are trying to affect change.
Sandy Nitch
A grocery store in southern Pahrump could help traffic
Here’s a win-win scenario. If someone is at Mountain Falls wanting a roundabout to ease access to the 160 State Highway, why not ask for a nice grocery store at the southern part of town. This may end quite a bit of traffic heading back and forth at that location.
I would suggest the person who was whining about the traffic, take another look at Mountain Falls entry/exit. I know Pahrump is having growing pains but there is no vision loss going either way. Maybe it’s just not enough patience… Or not enough coffee. Take the time to judge the speed of drivers on the highway and make sure you have plenty of time before you pull out. They are coming faster than you think – and that is IF they are abiding by the 65-mph speed limit. I guarantee that will eliminate a lot of those incidents.
Yours truly,
Steven Johnson
