During the night on Monday under the cloak of darkness vandals again struck our city. They damaged duplexes under construction. They damaged a vehicle parked at Sixth and West streets They damaged a piece of equipment parked at the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds that is being used to help repair the fairgrounds under a tight deadline in time for the August fair. And they damaged equipment belonging to the Tonganoxie ball players.

We residents, business owners and workers in Tonganoxie should be outraged. These acts should not be tolerated. They simply are unacceptable in a civilized community.

What is it going to take for us to put our collective foot down and say “no more” to the people who think this is a great sport? This most recent incident is not the first time our city has been hit by vandals.

Some people believe that rewards should be offered for information in such cases. Would that really serve as a deterrent the next time someone thinks it’s time to go out and tear something up and break some windows?

Perhaps.

But we citizens also can actively help our police department determine who committed these acts. Witnesses should come forward. We also can put pressure on the police and on the prosecutors to ensure that those who are guilty are punished. We should not sit idly by. We should demand more than restitution and a slap on the hands.

Only we can make this madness stop.