Valley City Police Crack Down on Christmas Decorations

by Ima Phibber

The Valley City Police Department (VCPD) has a great reputation in The Valley, and they have great rapport with the community. Police chief, Kojak Griffith, has led the department for about 15 years, and he has a flawless reputation. Griffith and his department have never come under fire until now.

Everything is sped up these days. No one is patient, and people continue to push the envelope and defy cultural norms. In the past, no one put up Christmas trees, lights, and decorations until after Thanksgiving. In recent years, people have started putting up Christmas trees, lights, and decorations in mid-November. Now, people are putting up Christmas trees, lights, and decorations immediately after Halloween.

The VCPD has started fining residents for putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. So far, three residents have been fined $150 each. This has become a very controversial issue among Valley City residents. The resident that received the first fine made a social media post blasting the VCPD, and people became more angry after they found out two more residents received fines. The vitriol was directed toward Chief Griffith and VCPD. But, a brief investigation has discovered that Chief Griffith and his department were following orders from Valley City’s mayor, Ronald Bush.

I wasn’t able to reach Mayor Bush for comment, but a statement was released by Valley City’s communications director, Karen Jean Pierre. The statement said according to Valley City Ordinance 37.2, the city has authority to fine residents for yard decorations that are deemed inappropriate.

The statement read, “Mayor Bush loves Christmas, and he appreciates the Christmas spirit of Valley City residents. However, he feels it is very inappropriate that Christmas decorations are immediately being setup after Halloween. In no way does Mayor Bush feel the Christmas trees, lights, and decorations themselves are inappropriate. Mayor Bush feels strongly that Thanksgiving needs to be remembered and celebrated. Christmas trees, lights, and decorations should be setup after Thanksgiving, but the VCPD will be lenient and not fine any resident for Christmas decorations setup after Nov. 15th. The fines will continue to be given to residents that setup Christmas decorations prior to Nov. 15th.”

Valley City residents have mixed emotions about the issue. One resident that received a fine said, “This is America! I thought it was still a free country, but I don’t know anymore. I got fined for putting a nativity scene, a nativity scene, in my yard! At first, I thought it was a joke. Chief Griffith needs to defy the mayor; he has to stand with the residents of Valley City. This cannot stand!”

I perused the Let’s Talk Valley City Facebook group, and many members agreed with Mayor Bush and the fines. One member of the group said, “I’m a Libertarian, so I believe people should be able to do whatever they want within reason. But, putting up Christmas decorations right after Halloween is just psychotic. These people may need to be admitted to Whitfield. It’s gotten out of hand. Can’t you just wait until after Thanksgiving?”

This will continue to be a controversial issue. We’ll see if Valley City residents defy the mayor and the VCPD. The holidays are going to be fun in Valley City!