Larry Coon addressed the council during the December voting session, saying his current issue is in regards to one specific neighbor at this time. Coon said he lives with an autistic child who has also been having problems with this neighbor, who Coon reported has been threatening to do many things including beat people up and kick dogs.

“Something has to be done,” Coon said. “I’ve been in and out of the judicial system most of my life, mostly as a child under the age of 18. I turned my life around to make my life better. I’ve raised three kids, graduated three kids. Nothing is better than to have the American dream, and that’s what I’m trying to do. But it’s like every time we get a chance it is thrown back at us.”

Coon said it is hard to see people do what they do and get away with it, but that he also does not want to go through a legal battle because of his kids. He acknowledged that the police department is low on officers, but that he questioned why nothing can be done if they are constantly called to the same address. Additionally, Coon said there is nothing he can do either because he does not want to get into trouble, but that all of this adds up to the possibility of needing to leave the area.

“I grew up in this area,” Coon said. “I love this area. I moved back up from Missouri just for my wife’s mother’s passing. I’d like to stay, but if something doesn’t happen I can’t.”

Paul Wolfe reported similar problems to the council during the voting session, asking for something to be done. Screenshot courtesy of the city of Jamestown’s website

A second Fulton Street resident, Paul Wolfe, spoke after Coon at the voting session and reported similar problems. He said that having the police come to talk to people is not working.

“I know this is probably at the state level with their rules and regulations, but we need to do something, and that starts here in the local community,” Wolfe said. “We need to make changes. These changes, these discovery laws that have been changed are affecting us on a personal level.”

Wolfe added that he and his wife have been threatened with physical harm three times by a specific individual, and that he had to fight for an arrest to be made. He asked for more training or something else to be done.

“We want to work with them, but when I was here the first time I talked about us losing faith,” Wolfe said. “This is part of the problem. We do our part and there’s nothing more that we see. And I know that’s not their fault, they respond, they’re following their rules and regulations. The rules and regulations need to be changed; they’re affecting your neighborhoods and making people want to leave. I don’t want to see that.”