Wally DuChateau’s column from September 19th was a divisive piece in which nearly all of us are categorized as “aliens”. It should be pointed out to the Herald that these quote, “aliens” are a large part of your readership, and that perhaps the Courier Herald should consider renaming Wally DuChataeu’s column, “A Curmudgeons Stream of Consciousness” . Sadly, this weekly diatribe just feels like a bitter man’s disdain of anyone who did not grow up here, and disregard for families who actively choose to spend their hard-earned dollars in our downtown in an effort to keep it vibrant.

Most of us “aliens” are like me – raised in Enumclaw, then moved to the city to gain job opportunities and work experience, with hopes to one day return to live closer to our parents and raise our children here. (An aside: as someone who did grow up here, let me tell you – even if you did not, you are still welcome here. This town is as much yours as it is mine. I’m grateful you’re my neighbor. Whoever you are.)

To point out that us “aliens” overly identify with the city and treat Enumclaw as a “bedroom oasis” is laughable. Wally doesn’t seem to understand that our proximity to large cities serves as Enumclaw’s insurance policy for survival. Our proximity to big business, higher education and (most importantly) JOBS, means that my husband and I have the luxury of choosing to return to my hometown. I’ll be able to watch Enumclaw thrive as the surrounding areas grow, something my husband can’t say about his dying hometown in Mississippi. I guess that’s the way Wally remembers the good old days – when everyone’s kids grew up and left, never to return. But hey, at least there wouldn’t be any newcomers!

Wally also seems to have a skewed take on other matters such as the types of drinks us “aliens” enjoy and the restaurants we frequent. He holds the view that the success of one restaurant necessarily means the decline of another. Restaurant patronage is not a binary issue. For one to succeed, another does not have to fail.

Even an alien like me can recognize the charm and character that the historical establishments like the Lee, the Krain and the Ski Inn bring to our community (which is why we already eat and drink there). However, it should be noted that us “aliens” are a crowd-sourcing, fundraising, flash-mob loving bunch, and if there’s any one thing we do best, it’s heeding the call. If The Lee, or The Krain, or the Ski Inn is in trouble, all you have to do is say so. One thing I know for sure about my own generation is that we show up for our community. We support our neighbors. Not alienate them.

To Wally I say, good luck in your quest to make us feel unwelcome. This is our town too, and we’re not going anywhere.

Annika Madsen

Enumclaw