In less than one month, two brazen daylight robberies occurred in the city of Butler; one near Cubs Hall at 4:30 p.m. and the other on Kaufman Drive near the Elks lodge at 3:30 p.m. on June 5.

These incidences are stark evidence Butler is not the safe and welcome city it once was.

The mayor and others are trying to promote revitalization here. They claim this city and county are a great place to live and visit. Really?

To truly revitalize, first clean up the city’s crime problem, a lot of which is caused by drug abuse and drug trafficking. This problem has escalated over the past several decades here.

Second, we must stop attracting the criminal element. What kind of revitalization can we possibly succeed in implementing when our law-abiding citizens are being attacked by criminal thugs on busy streets at times of the day when it should be safe to be out and about?

Third, we have a chronic shoplifting problem occurring in our businesses. Fourth, we have a piggish populace who do not care if they litter. What kind of successful revitalization can occur if our surroundings are filthy dirty with litter everywhere?

Fifth, we have a problem with children under age 17 out past midnight, unsupervised by parents, in parks and the streets. The parents don’t seem to care what their children are doing or where they are.

Sixth, we have kids and immature adults who wander on other people’s private property without permission.

Until these six problems are corrected, no revitalization will succeed here. True revitalization will never succeed if these problems are not dealt with aggressively.