Grand Junction or Junktown? People that call this area of the Mesa County by Grand Junction take pride in the local businesses, recreational activity, seemingly endless outdoor opportunities and hometown feel. Yet, many refer to the same area as Junktown. Why? Because they see the town’s ugly side.

This year I took to writing a column to promote recreational activities and local businesses in Grand Junction, outraged by all of the out-of-town students that come to CMU and relentlessly call this town boring, dull, trash, etc. But how can I blame them for their assertions of the town when their observations hold truth?

[media-credit name=”Courtesy of Emma Berry” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]

I grew up in Grand Junction. That being said, I’ve been raised to see the good in our relatively safe suburbs, our mediocre schools, and our limited recreational activities. And not all of it is bad at all. Grand Junction is in its prime with local businesses opening up and garnering success. It’s a height for Colorado Mesa University, who not so long ago, was just a tiny little state college. And yet, despite these highs, Grand Junction is seeing some of its lows.

Grand Junction is also known as a drug town. Interpret it how you like, staying blind to the drug use in this town only makes for an ignorant community. According to the Grand Junction Police Department’s 2017 annual report, Grand Junction saw 1,401 drug violation cases, an 11% increase from 2016. Next to theft and vandalism, this is the highest volume of cases that are processed through the Grand Junction Police Department (GJPD).

[media-credit id=84 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]

Ironically, when a man died on campus Sept. 11th, drugs, theft and vandalism were all involved. The man was not a student at Colorado Mesa University, and yet was found in Confluence Hall, as a result of a break-in. Vandalism was noted to both the interior and exterior of the building. Recent reports reveal that the autopsy concluded no injuries to explain the cause of death, and a toxicology is currently working on determining the cause of death. The official offenses are 2nd degree burglary and criminal mischief, according to GJPD’s case report summary and spokesperson Heidi Davidson.

This incident is horrible on all accounts. What was a man doing breaking into CMU’s new engineering building? Why does CMU now have to fix thousands of dollars of damage caused by this person? Grand Junction has a problem and little evidence that anything is being done to fix it.

There is little funding for rehabilitation programs for those caught for drug violations. While some opportunities exist, it is no match for the level of demand this town needs to get clean.

The worst part about this event is that after the smoke clears and the investigation comes to an end, it is simply a needle in a haystack. While it was a shock to find out someone passed away on school property, after the case report was released, I didn’t really feel all that surprised something like this happened.

Why would we be surprised when it’s so common here? This incident is more proof that Grand Junction is in need of some serious Tender Love and Care. While I desperately want to be a prideful local, it’s difficult when incidents like this keep occurring.

One point for team Junktown. Grand Junction really isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.