There seems to be a wave of arson rolling through Oklahoma. On Monday, we told you about the Midwest City skate park that was set ablaze:
[VIDEO] NEW AT 5: “I see stuff blowing up.” Cell phone video captures the moment fire crews respond to a blaze at a Midwest City skate park ramp. Fire major confirms police are now involved in the investigation @kfor pic.twitter.com/y6JWUdE41J
— Lili Zheng (@lilizhengTV) November 23, 2018
Tulsa, always trying to one-up the rest of the state, took things a bit further. From KJRH:
TULSA — A woman is being held without bond after Tulsa Police say she set fires at two fast food restaurants.
Lyza Vagin is charged with two counts of first-degree arson, endangering human life and trespassing after forbidden.
Officers said Vagin was kicked out of the McDonald’s near 18th and Garnett Sunday night for trespassing. They said she is banned from the restaurant.
Shortly after, employees of the fast food restaurant called 911 because the back of the restaurant was on fire.
TPD said the employees were able to give them a good description of Vagin, who is the person they said started it.
“She is an individual we have had quite a bit of contact with,” Sgt. Robert Roloff with Tulsa Police said. “She has been homeless for the most part but she has been banned from over here at the McDonald’s for causing problems.”
Police searched the area for Vagin and found her at Taco Bell directly across the street. They said she smelled like smoke and McDonald’s employees identified her as the suspect. She was arrested.
When officers went inside the restaurant to see if she left any evidence behind, they said there was a fire in the women’s bathroom.
Mick Cornett just wanted us to eat off the Fresco Menu, and of course the 918 has to take things to the next extreme and just burn down their fast food restaurants. Typical.
In all seriousness, this is another story that highlights Oklahoma’s struggles with mental health and homelessness. The woman accused of these crimes is clearly suffering from both problems (which are inextricably linked), and now she faces time in prison. It’s possible this situation could have been avoided if it were easier for her to find resources and a support system.
Our outgoing administration has largely turned a blind eye to the state’s mental health and homelessness problems. Will Kevin Stitt be a force for change? Yeah, I was laughing before finishing that sentence too. But it’s a serious issue, and until Oklahoma faces it with serious solutions instead of thoughts & prayers or “bootstrap” economics policies, things ain’t gonna get any better.
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By god, these slackers just need a good horse-whipping. I’ve had problems, but I’ve managed to hang onto my sanity…….(SARCASM! for the folks who want to respond as if I were saying this in reality….I guess the sad thing is, this sentiment is all too real in this forking state/nation, so it’s hard to tell sometimes.)
It’s good to clearly label comments like your first sentence as sarcasm. We have all read comments just like that which were deadly serious. Frequently.
Kevin Stitt’s new chief of staff has worked for both Sen. Inhofe and Sen. Coburn. He was Inhofe’s state policy advisor at one time. Stitt’s new Secretary of Energy and the Environment (yes, it’s only one position!?!) comes from the EPA, having been brought to Washington from Oklahoma by Scott Pruitt!
And Oklahomans elected Stitt by a wide margin!
Meet the new boss – same as the old boss. I doubt that life will get any better in Oklahoma for the homeless and mentally ill on his watch.
Mental health care was vacated not just by the state (states), the Feds and the VA were equally complicit. The old system of homes/correctional institutes/asylums for the “insane” was just as evil as the current “throw them in the street” situation.
Homelessness, addiction, health care woes are only growing. Our so-called leaders have no solutions beyond fear, walls and guns. I despair.
What would it take to provide legitimate education options, affordable health care, social support networks? Money and commitment (ya know – taxes and that old “Christian/Sharia Spirit”).
Just me waving my hands in the air – I’d back someone with real answers.
Lazy Vagina, matchbox in your hand
Such a petty thing to torch McPlayland.
Lazy Vagina, gas can at your feet
Putting lives in danger over tainted meat.
The smell of burning plastic is disgusting,
Mental Health can be your smoking gun,
Workers never care “It’s just the grease pit,”
See? NOW they run.
You just made my morning!
Good one, Eddie!
I didn’t pick up on the song until the last line. I’m a bit slow this morning.
I’ll show my age. There were once several state mental hospitals until Reagan decided the mentally ill could be treated more effectively out in public. If you can find an old Oklahoma map you can look for State Hospitals and compare with a recent map to find a prison at each location. I could draw a conclusion for you about how well this policy has worked so far but I prefer to allow you to draw your own.
Thank god we elected outsider Kevin Stitt to help us to conjure up solutions to decades-old issues created by Saint Ronald. Maybe the recent legalization of cannabis will gradually augment the reality of my home state’s hive mind to start favoring logic and reason over more of the same.