This is just dumb
Cops to cut down tree that draws crime
August 26, 2004
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. --Okaloosa County sheriff's deputies think they have found a solution for getting rid of drug dealers and prostitutes who congregate under a giant oak tree: chop it down. The sheriff's office is seeking permission to have the tree removed from a county right of way on Cypress Street.
"We're not attacking the tree," Deputy Don Hess said. "The tree hasn't hurt anybody."
But Hess said it provides cover for drug dealers and prostitutes and their customers. He said 30 to 40 arrests per month stem from criminal activity at the oak.
So far county officials have stood up for the tree, but that resolve may be crumbling.
"Why not deal with the people underneath the tree rather than cut down the tree?" asked Christy Johnson, a senior county planner.
Good point.
