Editor, Manteca Bulletin,
The residents of the 400 Block of South Manley Road in Ripon have voted to pass Residential Parking Permit Year Around for its section of the troubled area (this was to be finalized at close of business on Friday, Aug. 26). 
I am disappointed in the Bulletin’s article on the subject because you have chosen not to include any comments by the “folks in the area” of the “possibility” of the problems. I’m sorry to say they are facts not possibilities.  Please look at the Crime Statistics for the area, look at the number of fires that the area has had, a little due diligence would be appreciated and please report facts not “possibilities.” 
Did you know about the attempted rape in the bridge area?  Would you like to see the large oil stain in front of my house?  Have you taken a walk down by the river and looked at the trash left behind polluting the river waterway?  The truck driver that decided to steal the front porch furniture from one of the “folks” was seen earlier in the day casing the area.  So as you said in the article “fears of criminal activity” is a totally biased statement not based on fact.  Are we tired of picking up the trash, diapers, illegal drug paraphernalia from our lawns and the street directly in front of our house you bet your bottom … we are very tired.  As long as I live in the area I will be at every City Council meeting regarding this topic and I will scrutinize any changes being made to the ordinance.  The “folks” that formed the committee tried to include the entire area for the first vote, but obviously the farther you are away from the main problem area (the bridge access) the less you see, especially if you care nothing for your neighbors.
 So the individual streets opted to vote their individual streets into the city approved ordinance, but just like the uncaring neighbors, the city officials you quoted don’t care for the residents living close to and having the problems caused by the unmanaged overused bike bridge area, we had to step up and bring it to the City of Ripon’s attention.
Note to the Ripon City Council: If the City Council wants to modify the ordinance to only be year around, please proceed, but don’t complain about an ordinance you “read” and previously approved, this may help alleviate the time and resource problems mentioned in your article; or at the very least please do suggest another way to manage the problems that have been mentioned time and time again, did those problems fall on deaf ears!
I will complement and personally thank Chief Ormonde and all the Ripon Police officers that have responded to the problems.  Please don’t get the “folks” that live in the area wrong, we don’t mind anyone using the area for recreation purposes, I have and have taken my family and Scouts down the river several times, but with the uncontrolled crowds the problems have and will follow.
I have attached pictures as examples of the criminal activity, trash (taken this morning this letter was written) and “possibility” of vegetation fire (actual photos taken this morning of damage from last year’s fire).  In the pictures of the dropped hamburger, we asked the responsible party to please pick up the trash, they did only to throw it on the lawn of the house they were parked in front of. 

 Christopher Crandall
Ripon