Letter: Our hero

Going back to December 23, 2021, just a day before Christmas.  Residents on Camp Hope were doing a normal stroll out to the road as a regular part of garbage pick-up. Camp Hope is where a group of four had been chosen from various backgrounds with various talents. This is a 12-acre property declared the largest undeveloped privately owned piece of property in Crescent City.

For years the property has been vacant and soon became a problem with the city with a huge influx of transients in makeshift dwellings and a very dangerous cave. Garbage piles, rapes, fights, fires and more would be the call of the day.

The chief had told us since our one-year-old group on Camp Hope began they have not heard of any fires or rapes, and the transients have been pushed away. The only fight that still exists is the will to survive!

On that morning, camp host we call ‘Mother,’ his  name is Paul, did his morning stroll toward  the road. Mother noticed something looking suspicious just 10 feet from the sidewalk. He yelled to Johnny BeGood (another resident at Camp Hope) to call 911. 

Just after a police officer happened to drive by and they flagged him down. The officer took one look at this suspicious item and immediately called Officer McManus now retired, who is their bomb tech.

Thank God our town has someone like him. For most he is just another law enforcement officer. To Camp Hope he is our hero!

McManus was heading out of town with his son when the call came in. This further shows the hero he indeed is.

McManus noticed the item and understood right away it was a bomb he told us to stand back quoting “if you can see it- it can see you” meaning if you can see it and it explodes, it can get you.

McManus said this would’ve sent shrapnel 15 meters roughly 50 feet in every direction. If you were near the blast the sound alone could have destroyed your hearing.

To make matters, worse a golf club end (9 iron) was sitting near it which we presumed was part of helping it fly further into the property at Camp Hope and if it was attached to it, you can only imagine!

Our hope is to bring attention to our town and the people that we are watching and we are  doing our best to keep the area free of problems. Camp Hope only seeks what everyone else seeks: peaceful life.

Thanks for reading. Keeping Hope Alive.

 

Elias Mavris