An editorial by Jackson Frolic

A rash of robberies at Layte-Nite Gas ‘n’ Beer Party Shop out on Out-on-the-Highway Road over the past month has many residents — and at least one employee — worried.

Whether the rash will continue, time will tell. But it’s time to scratch where it itches.

Chiou Yueh, new acting chief of Bass Lake Authority Police, has vowed that criminals may face charges for local crimes, and we applaud that manifesto, considering the ineptitude of the previous police-management regime. You go, Yueh.

A gun-wielding psychopath, especially two of them in separate incidents, should not wield power over the safety of Bass Lake residents and cause discomfort among the citizenry.

However, there’s enough blame to spread around. It doesn’t help that the store is an easy target. For one, it’s in a prominent location, but that’s nothing unusual. Worse, the business keeps an open safe near the back door, as a clerk targeted in the first crime revealed in an interview with the Beacon.

The store’s owner, Eugene Krebs, was unavailable for comment, as usual. So I’ll ask him some questions in print, and maybe that approach will work:

1. What are going to do about it?

As for BLAP, although Yueh has shown early good intentions, results are all that matter. Potential does not equal success. As much-maligned (mainly by me) on-again/off-again Beacon contributor Forrest Bunkard might say, “It’s like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaging 80 points per game during the regular season, but the Lakers lose the championship to the 1973 Philadelphia 76ers.”

That much is clear.

Until next time: See you next time.

Jackson Frolic is senior editor at the Beacon. That much is established.