Article Response

I chose the article titled “Fairbury police arrest 20-year-old in slashing” because Fairbury is relatively close to my hometown. My mom grew up 15 miles from there and attended high school in Fairbury. Both my parents attended Fairbury Junior College and my cousins now go to middle school and high school in Fairbury. In fact I was just there this past weekend.

From what my parents have told me, Fairbury used to be a quiet, peaceful town. The biggest case of crime and vandalism was when my mom stole a hen from a local chicken farm, snuck it into the movie theater, and let it go half-way through the movie. However, this has all changed. Meth labs have sprung up all over town bringing in paranoid junkies who will steal, kill, and destroy property while they’re high.

I’m not saying the Meth addicts are the only ones doing any crime, I’m sure there are some very docile junkies. However, the rise in crime of some Meth addicts has almost opened a door to everyone ever considering breaking the law. It’s almost become the norm in Fairbury. In the past three years I can remember two murders and many thefts in and around Fairbury. This is no where near the crime rate in larger cities but for a relatively small town like Fairbury it’s outrageous. It hasn’t gotten to the point where it’s unsafe to walk the streets along at night but it’s steadily becoming more unnerving.

It makes me somewhat nervous for my cousins who go to school in Fairbury. I wonder if they’ll fall into a group of friends that will decide it’s cool to steal stuff. Maybe they’ll be pressured into trying Meth or maybe someone tripped out on Meth will decide to hurt them in some way. Who knows? Maybe the crime rate will drop and I won’t have to worry about it. Let’s hope.