Believes in free speech, not vandalism

I am a local resident of Whitefish, and I am a firm believer in everyone’s right to free speech. If you want to make your opinion known, write a book, a blog. Wear a T-shirt. Write a news article, hold a sign. What you can’t do, is vandalize private property. This is our home. We will not become Seattle, New York, Portland, Chicago, Detroit.

It starts with graffiti and moves to broken shop windows, defacing statues, looting, burning down of police stations. This disgusting criminal act of defacement of the Big Mountain statue of Jesus is just the beginning if we don’t arrest and prosecute the individual involved.

This is a small town, and someone knows who did this. Put out a crime stopper ad. Our children will not be afraid to play in our parks. We pay taxes as home owners, and will not to see our town become a third-world country.

Get a handle on this now, I have seen those cities up close. It is heart breaking and terrifying. I call on all Whitefish and Flathead residents to let our leaders know, we will not tolerate lawlessness.

Diane Rice, Whitefish