Mark DeLap
                                The Bladen Journal Editor

Mark DeLap

The Bladen Journal Editor

FROM THE EDITOR

With all the unrest in the nation, isn’t it nice to know that we still live in a small town where we are too small for the protesters to bother with. Which is more than just fine for our community.

The level of ignorance and stupidity along with a lack of rationale has so many on edge. The idea that a good way to get revenge upon four criminal police officers is to hurt innocent people, loot stores, burn buildings and then march in the name of justice is missing a few screws holding the “why” together.

We have all had a few really bad teachers who really shouldn’t have been teaching. There was no rhyme or reason as to why they were so unfair and cruel. It didn’t make us want to steal library books or burn down the gymnasium. And we should be glad that it didn’t want to make our school systems defund and eliminate teachers – because for every bad one we encountered there were 20 others that were compassionate, caring and caused us to learn things.

There are bad apples out there, but we can thank God we don’t have to give up apple pie and eliminate all apples from the face of the earth.

This year – a piece of North Carolina has experienced a season of hurricane flooding beyond anything we’ve ever seen. Part of the northern territories were decimated and many perished. Through it all, Bladen’s finest goes toe-to-toe with the crisis… laying their lives on the line.

The compassion and time that these officers and administrative staff from the Sheriff’s office and police departments showed was nothing less than incredible. In other areas of America where protesters are marching in parades against the police, here in Bladen County the police were working feverishly, making a difference in their communities.

With each step and each blast of the siren down the main streets of our communities the officers were declaring their love for the people and their care for the communities – some who weren’t even in their jurisdiction. They don’t get a lot of fanfare, especially lately in the midst of all the adversity, but they didn’t do it for fame or to be patted on the back.

That’s not the reason they went into law enforcement in the first place. They took an oath to protect and to serve and here in Bladen County, our officers have not spoken their oath out loud, but with a silent drive down streets that were deteriorating under their wheels, they “lived” their oath. That is why we cannot ever forget the little things our men in blue or brown or gray do for us.

When you see a police officer here that keeps a town safe and supports those who can’t support themselves, let them know how much you appreciate their service. They never backed down from the COVID threat, they don’t live extravagant lives, but somehow, they are always happy to take underprivileged kids shopping at Christmas. They were at the ready to protect us when the threat of violent protests were heading in our direction and they hold up the heart of Bladen.

We are truly blessed in Bladen County that we have officers that put their lives on the line for all of us.

Mark DeLap is a journalist, photographer and the editor and general manager of the Bladen Journal. To see more of his bio, visit him at markdelap.com or email him. Send a message to: mdelap@bladenjournal.com