Ride for law enforcement included political messages that polarized community

Photo by Tom Rivers: An Orleans County Sheriff’s office patrol car leads the third annual “Ride for the Blue” on Sunday. The group is shown here on Route 31 in Holley. They went on a 52-mile ride in Orleans County.

Editor:

I just watched an odd display and I feel compelled to comment. For another year there was a loud procession of police cars and fire trucks intermixed with a collection of motorcycles, cars, pickups, a propane truck, dump trucks, and other large vehicles.

There were a lot of large flags including: Ultra Maga, Trump 2020, Trump 2024, Mario Fratto, and Let’s Go Brandon. Apparently, they were taking a loop around the county and then going to listen to Andrew Giuliani and a couple Republican candidates.

I’m not sure what the purpose of the dump trucks was. Perhaps if I was flying a Joe Biden flag today, one of those trucks would have lost control for a few seconds and it would have accidently been taken out? Maybe my front porch too? Would I have been able to call the police to complain, or would I have been ignored? Would the fire department have put out any resulting fire or would I have been stuck using my garden hose?

It gets me to wondering how people are hired into the local government departments. Do they recruit from our whole community in an apolitical process or do you have to be carrying a Trump card these days? I really have no idea. I wonder, the way things are going, if in another 5 years there will still be a single 911 number to call in an emergency. Perhaps that will be the number to call for the Republican police and there will be another number to call for the Democratic police. If I would prefer the Democratic police, will I have to wait for them to drive in from Monroe County?

At least I didn’t see any Confederate flags – well, not today at least.

Jason Dragon

Albion