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Deadening silence is deafening
(by Dave Lange - August 27, 2009)
COUNTY LINE, BY DAVE LANGE
Deadening silence is deafening
Three would-be killers remain at large in the Chagrin Valley. Their identities are known to some of our fellow citizens, but, for Godforsaken reasons, they have chosen to condone behavior that deliberately endangers innocent lives. Those who have knowledge about these three crimes but refuse to provide vital information needed by law-enforcement officials to solve them defy the tenets of civilized society.
The first of the three crimes occurred in July 2007, when someone set fire to St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Bentleyville, causing about $3 million in damages. There is no evidence that human life was the target of that arsonist, but firefighters' lives always are endangered by such conflagrations.
A $5,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the St. Martin's arson, and the Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office, which initially handled the investigation, was optimistic about someone coming forward. But since the case was turned over to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, it has gone nowhere.
In two more recent cases -- one arson and one vehicle tampering -- it is evident that the perpetrators intended to threaten human lives. The arson occurred in early June at the home of Woodmere Councilwoman Lisa Brockwell. The tampering was detected in early July on a vehicle assigned to Bainbridge Fire Chief Brian Phan. Both Ms. Brockwell and Mr. Phan have been subjected to irrational hostilities from members of their communities.
Ms. Brockwell, her daughter with special needs and their three dogs were fortunate to escape the late evening blaze that destroyed two rooms of their home and could have left them dead in their sleep. Mr. Phan and other members of the Bainbridge Fire Department who use the vehicle, as well as people who drive on township roads, were fortunate that a mechanic discovered the tampering before it caused a possibly fatal crash.
Ms. Brockwell is the only white member on the seven-member Woodmere Village Council. She also is the only one who vocally supported former Police Chief Lamont Lockhart, who courageously stood up to the racist actions of Mayor Yolanda E. Broadie and won a $3 million lawsuit against the village.
Surely, neither the mayor nor anyone on Village Council would be involved in an attempt to kill Councilwoman Brockwell. But it's quite possible that a psychopathic individual with demented loyalties to the discredited status quo committed this crime. Despite the offer of a $7,500 reward, the people of Woodmere are disturbingly silent.
Mr. Phan was assailed in a public meeting this June by Auburn resident Bruce Haas, whose 17-year-old son, Timothy, was overcome by noxious fumes inside the fuel-storage tank they were cleaning in May 2008. Official investigations of the incident show that everything humanly possible was done by emergency responders to save the son from a virtually hopeless situation. Unfortunately, the public harangue was followed by anonymous threats against the fire chief.
Certainly, the Haas family would have nothing to do with the vehicle tampering that could have killed Mr. Phan or someone else. But it is conceivable that some twisted person was motivated by the false accusations. Despite a $500 reward, so far, no one is talking.
These incidents and the silence that follows do not reflect well on this community.
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