In last week’s Question to the Community we asked: “Are you miserable because you live in Hemet? Is Hemet really that of a miserable place to live?” Here are some of the responses from the community;

S. Ryan– “I LOVE HEMET!”

M. Romero– “People are miserable because they want to be. It’s what you make of what you have. Doesn’t matter where you live.”

M. Rivas– “I live in San Jacinto so some might say it’s not the same but I spend a great deal shopping, visiting and eating out in Hemet.

I have grown to love this place and I can’t see myself willingly leaving it any time soon.”

S. Mull– “I believe it could be a great city. That being said the overwhelming homeless and crackheads make it miserable. You can’t go shopping anywhere without them demanding money. Also the crime is high because of it. I heard 1 big issue is a bus ride from prisons last stop is Hemet. If they could get that all under control the city would be a great place to live.”

A.Munshower– “California is miserable at the moment. Hemet city ordinances just make it that much more of a struggle. That being said, it could be much worse. It’s also very difficult to leave California because saving up money if you aren’t in a decent position in California is a struggle… a lot of people feel trapped here and want out but are afraid of the risk of moving with little to no money…”

E. Mendivil– “Born and raised here and I still love this place forever.”

K. Klinesmith– “I was born in hemet hospital and raised here I’m 37 now and still love that you can drive 1 hour in any direction and be to the beach mountain desert but it has changed big time over the years but it’s not the town it some of the people there is still good and hopefully will be great again one day but I won’t let my town make me miserable I have a beautiful family and life itself is a beautiful thing be grateful peeps but I am moving because I can afford a better life elsewhere California is expensive.”

A.Palacios– “I’ll be honest. Hopefully, others can relate to what I’m about to say. Hemet and San Jacinto aren’t miserable places to live. It’s the people ruining our communities by breaking into our cars starting fights, the aggressive panhandlers, and over all the people who always seem to hate it here but never seem to leave. I’ve grown up here since the age of 14 when our family moved out here from Long Beach, CA. I’m proud of saying I’m from Hemet no place is perfect, take for example Hemet, lol but we live here a lot of us have our families here, we went to High School here, our kids are doing their schooling here, let’s all work together and make these cities better for ourselves and our future generations, it’s easier said than done but I still hold on to hope that these cities will prosper in the near future.”

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Are we really 44?

In a recent report, Hemet was named as the “44th most miserable city in America.”    We love Hemet, and we think it’s a great place to live.  

Our question this week is very simple though, are you miserable because you live in Hemet, and do you think that Hemet is such a miserable place to live?

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One Reader Shares Their Thoughts

This week we asked our readers what they think should be done about the homeless problem in our valley. One reader really had a lot to say about this, so we are going to print their response. 

“Homelessness is an epidemic spanning all across the country, more and more homeless communities are popping up everywhere. Your average homeless person isn’t the one who is sitting on the corner of the street. There are an immeasurable amount of Homeless people living out in nature. All measurable data doesn’t even begin to tell you the truth about homelessness but we will use some of the data that has been collected. NCHV.org (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans) has estimated that there are over 40,000 homeless veterans in american right now. Although, they clearly state that the number could be much higher than that. These are people who have sacrificed for their country, paid into a retirement, have insurance, but can’t get help. Often times they won’t qualify for Financial Aid or Food Stamps, or they don’t even know that they can get those things. Possibly there is no one around to help them get it. MentalIllnesspolicy.org estimates that 25% of homeless people suffer from a severe mental illness in america. That includes everything from Depression to Schizophrenia, people with such disabilities often also deal with Self-Sabotage and have no way of getting themselves out of the hole they dug. Not to get political, but as a society we are so focused on helping everyone in the world out over our own people. Personally I don’t see a problem helping out Syrian refugees or immigrants from Mexico, but our homeless society should be a focal point too. In our valley in particular, we don’t have a shelter that they can go to at night, or during the excruciating heat of summer. I know that can be expensive, so here are some low cost things we could do as a community to passively help out the homeless people in our valley. For starters we need a couple “water spots” around the city where they can fill up a couple of water bottles to last them throughout the day. Even if you have a limit to one gallon per person. Secondly we can stop planting meaning less ferns/trees around the city and begin to plant Self-pollinating fruit trees (Trees that grow fruit with very little to no maintenance) around the city and at our parks. These types of trees include; Apricots, Nectarines, Peaches, and Cherries. This would supply the homeless with some food naturally and also help them get some nutrients. Other good trees that supply great fruit with little maintenance are; Plums, Pears, some types of Apples, and Grapefruit. Planting a variety of these around the city and at parks for all to enjoy would make a huge difference. All in all, I think the fact that we are having this conversation is great, but it’s time to put words into action and start taking care of our people.” -Anonymous  

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Do You Feel Safe In The Community?

Last week’s Community Question was, “Do you feel safe in our community? If not why and could change in order for you to feel safe? If you already feel safe, why?”

Here are some of reader responses,

S.Castro- “Nope! Not enough police presence on Florida, Too many homeless at the community parks, I don’t even park any of my cars outside of the garage because there’s wack jobs slashing tires and windshields. And i just bought a new home out here. Came from Redlands.”

S. Ryan- “Love Hemet and San Jacinto. Lived here for the last 20 years.”

A. Dotinga- “Been here since 1970, I refuse to let anybody make me stay inside day or night or be afraid. I shop all over town, eat out etc without letting anything bother me. We just have to be aware of our surroundings and who is in our space.”

A.Ruiz-Bolton- “I don’t feel “unsafe” here, maybe because I grew up and lived in NYC for 60 years. I’ve never experienced anything “scary” here. I’ve never even been accosted by a beggar…I chalk that up to my NY “smile.” I try to be aware of what’s going on around me at any given time, and unless it’s unavoidable, I’m not taking a moonlight stroll. I live in a 55+ community, so there usually isn’t much activity, especially at night, that goes unnoticed, but I still make sure everything is locked up tight. I try to do what I can to keep myself safe, but I realize that no matter where I live, even in the best of neighborhoods, there might be people who would try to do me harm.”

W.Lars- “Something needs to be done about the homeless some are druggies and need to steal to be able buy drugs that leads to a lot of petty crimes and since California won’t prosecute them it doesn’t stop and it is getting worse

We keep paying more and more in taxes and getting less for our money I am moving out of state.”

K.Michael- “More patrolling areas would be good. I live near Whittier Elementary school and people are rude and don’t even follow the laws when they see a school they speed by so fast not thinking of the kids. I worry all the time! Slow down and obey the signs. Gilbert awful too! Business area slow down!”

S. Carmody- “Not anymore. In East Hemet unincorporated area no regulation of fireworks & I know last night one of “bangs” was gunshot. Recognized it from hunting with dad. Just so much of it, so close together, people can’t tell the difference. Street people, I can handle but this constant assault on peace & quiet in my own home is really too much. Dangerous, don’t know when shots really fired.”

And that is this week’s responses to the Community Question! Make sure to be on the lookout for next week’s question and email your responses to Kheadlee@hsjchronicle.com.

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This week’s “Question to the community” has to do with safety.  We’ve seen the studies showing that Hemet is ranked as one of the most “miserable” cities in America (we’ll be covering this in-depth in coming weeks), and, last week, we had three murders: two in Hemet and one in San Jacinto.  The question of the week is simply this: Do you feel safe in your community, and why or why not?

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Should High School Students Have To Finish Mandated Community Service?

Last week we asked you guys if you thought high school students should be required to complete some form of community service in order to graduate from high school. The majority of you all responded with a quick “yes”; however, there were a few readers that felt like high school students already have way too much to handle as it is. Here are some of the responses from our readers.

“I had to; close to 20 years ago. I did my 100 hours at a vet clinic and I loved it even more. Never was able to do vet school. Had a kid right after high school. But my love for animals never went away and I want to go back to school.” 

“No, I don’t think it should be a requirement.”

 “In 1997, I had to do 40 hours and the experience got me hired by them afterwards in a full-time job so yeah, teach them some civic responsibilities.”

“Yeah they should, it’s important to contribute to your own community, but since most of us won’t do it on our own, I don’t see the problem with 40 hours of mandatory contribution to be served once as a part of the requirements to receive your diploma/GED.”

“No. 40hrs/week of educational instruction IS their job.”

“It wouldn’t hurt them!”

“The school I went to had community service as a requirement for graduation. I think it’s a good idea.”

“Yes. Doing community service keeps us in touch with the everyday problems and issues with people on the other side. We all tend to live in our own sheltered world, not thinking about how others not so fortunate may have to struggle through the simple everyday things we take for granted.”

“All four of mine did community service through our church. It’s a parent’s job to instill. My husband and I, along with my parents and grandparents, taught the next generation to cook, sew, plant, fix cars, check the oil…schools are fine, but what really matters need to be modeled at home. The rest is a bonus.”

The majority of the people who wrote in felt that a community service requirement would be beneficial to our community. However, those who opposed it made valid points. I see both sides. Community Service can teach valuable lessons to our youth and help out our community in many ways. On the other side many parents and teachers feel like students these days have way too much pressure and sometimes find it hard to keep up with all of the requirements they have in school already. Especially if they are involved in some kind of extracurricular activities like; sports, drama, band, or ASB. The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle loves to hear from its readers, be on the lookout for next week’s Question to the community and email your response to VCsportsKyle@gmail.com if you want your voice to be heard.

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