I was talking to someone in Olympia the other day and told them I was from Enumclaw. When I mentioned the town I was from they said something along the lines of “oh, isn’t that place where they send all the pedophiles?” Obviously, I was a bit shocked about that comment so I asked where they got that idea and their response was, “isn’t that what the signs they have posted around town are all about?”

Obviously, this person was misinformed and from what I discovered it was just their impression from seeing signs all around Enumclaw about not protecting sex offenders. And to be perfectly honest, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard negative comments in the same sense about the sign campaign continuing.

I know this campaign started up with the controversy surrounding the Garden House. I was impressed by how well our community came together to fight against how poorly planned that LRA was put into place. At this point it’s been nine months that the house has been empty. So my question is this: is there a plan to end the sign campaign? Personally with the house empty I’m a little confused what it is that is trying to accomplish.

To make it abundantly clear, I’m incredibly proud of how powerful these signs have been in helping to bring the issue to light and providing focus. But it’s good to be aware of negative impacts they might be having, and it might be time for us to move on as a community. We should definitely be ready if this issue rears its ugly head again, but perhaps not let it continue to consume us and define what Enumclaw is about as a community.

Thomas M. Sauvageau

Enumclaw