Tehachapi News

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In recent weeks, the Tehachapi News has been bringing to the public’s attention the event of some ‘not so kind’ emails being sent to City Council members. These emails must have been very hurtful, perhaps slanderous, perhaps threatening. So much so that the Tehachapi Police Department has investigated them and the Counsel for the City of Tehachapi has spent time offering legal advice about the emails. At the last City Council meeting, it was approved by the Council to advance the issue to the Kern County Grand Jury for investigation and advisement.
At some time in everyone’s life we have been the victim of bullying in one form or another. Apparently there is a person in the community who must feel angry or frustrated by issues that have come before the City Council. These issues have apparently not been resolved to their satisfaction or they feel they had a battle to win, and that didn’t happen. Some people, as we all know, just lack the skills to express their feeling in a constructive way. The result of that inability is to lash out by attacking those they see as being responsible for their unresolved issues. Bullies tend to demean others by attempting to make them appear weak, inadequate and bad in some way. Bullies become so emotionally focused in their attack they can never recognized what is really happening in the total picture. Those witnessing the attack become compassionate toward the victim. In their eyes, the bully is viewed as the defective person and all of the negative things hurled at the victim(s) are given no credence. One of the quickest ways to loose your credibility is become a bully. One would expect that this kind of behavior would have been left behind on the school playground many years ago. Sadly, someone is still dealing with life using the emotional behavior of a child.
It is regrettable that this has occurred.  Adults are expected to be responsible for their actions. Hopefully the City will gain the truth about the person who has generated these emails. This should not be an issue of exacting revenge, but of holding people accountable. Sadly, there can be no repair for the damage done to persons involved, victims or bully! I’m sure by now the bully realizes they have dangerously stepped over the line. This is not a game of dodge ball. The consequences can be far greater than just sitting out the game!
The nature of this affair has overtaken the affective work of our City Council. Its tone is felt at all of the meetings. It is not a perfect world and none of us makes the perfect decision all the time. Our City Council is trying to advance the best interests of our community. We may not agree with all of the actions and projects.  But these individuals are elected and we do have the right to stand up and to have our concerns heard, in a civil manner. If this is an irresolvable matter, I hope we can move on soon. Everyone needs to get back into a constructive frame of mind.
               Cherrill Gragg