Home Opinion Knightsen Resident Issues Open Letter to Board of Supervisors Over Large Scale Illegal Parties

Knightsen Resident Issues Open Letter to Board of Supervisors Over Large Scale Illegal Parties

by ECT

This is an open letter to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors issued by a resident living in Knightsen

 

Dear Board of Supervisors:

For the past 10 years, the residents of Knightsen have been dealing with large scale illegal (unpermitted) parties that have only increased in size and frequency over the years and to the detriment of the quality of life in our small rural town that once was a quiet peaceful community.

These illegal parties are mostly on the weekends (starting on Friday night) and will commence anytime from noon and go until 3:00 am in the morning. Many times there are three or four illegal parties in different locations of Knightsen with hundreds of people in attendance at each one happening on the same day/night.

These illegal parties consist of multiple live bands with amplified music which can be heard miles away, bright overhead lights (sometimes flashing, strobe or projected), serving and consumption of food and alcohol (unpermitted and not monitored by health dept) parking, driving, smoking on dry grass areas (fire danger), people loitering in the streets (sometimes have even been seen laying in the roadways in the dark) destruction of neighboring properties, trash remnants left on the streets, irrigation canals and sides of our roads, parking in and along private roads that block traffic and emergency vehicle access, and of course the drunk drivers who come and go throughout the event.

Over those past 10 years (and especially the past 5 years) residents of Knightsen have filed complaints, attended meetings, wrote emails, called the Contra Costa County Sheriff, worked with code enforcement and pleaded with the county through the office of Supervisor Diane Burgis to stop these intrusive and uncontrolled events.

The residents of Knightsen who are directly affected by these massive parties/events have followed the ‘instructions’ given to us by Supervisor Burgis office which entails:

  1. Calling the sheriff and providing the location of the event
  2. Having the sheriff call back after going to the event location and providing a report number of the incident (so you cannot remain anonymous)
  3. Waiting until Monday after the event and then contacting code enforcement to provide them with the report number given by sheriff
  4. A letter is generated to the property owner.
  5. Nothing happens and the parties continue at the same locations, week after week, year after year.

Let’s start off by saying, the county has made the residents of Knightsen (who are really the victims of these events) responsible to also patrol the events and put their own safety at risk by doing so. Residents have been threatened by the hosts of these parties and now fear retaliation so most have stopped reporting the events. The sheriff dept has reported at the Knightsen Town Council Meetings that it is TOO DANGEROUS for them to enter the parties/events so many times do not even respond to the calls. Well if it’s too dangerous for the police, isn’t it too dangerous for the residents as well?

And yet the county expects the residents of Knightsen to police the events, deal with the consequences and continues to ignore our pleas for help.

On the weekend of 9/4, there were two very large events…One on Friday night held on Eagle Lane, (reportedly heard two miles away) and one on Saturday night held on the 8000 block of the Byron Highway. As you know, the Byron Highway event ended in tragedy with two young teenagers dying and one being arrested for drunk driving. Without much concern for the loss of lives, or even a reprieve in honor or respect for those killed on the Byron Highway, the very next weekend on the night of 9/11, two more parties were held on the Byron Highway between Penny Lane and Sunset Rd, directly across the street from each other.

So I ask Supervisor Diane Burgis, will you NOW do something about these illegal parties, or do more people have to die before any action will be taken by you and the county? Again, we the residents of Knightsen have been complaining, cooperating and doing EVERYTHING you have asked us to do and yet we STILL have our lives disrupted, our right to peace and quiet stomped on, our properties and communities destroyed and now lives have been taken….ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Your inaction has now costs lives. When will you do something to stop these illegal parties?

Carolynne Steen
Knightsen resident since 1998

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11 comments

Holly Sep 14, 2021 - 6:30 am

Amen! Its out if control, drinking ,gunshots , rockets , fire crackers lit off in the middle of streets, in fire season and not to mention the drunk driving , mules , cars , trucks and deaths. And riding horses in the dark , no reflectors and dark clothing.

Ian Charleson Sep 14, 2021 - 7:46 am

If our elected representatives do nothing for the people. Fire them!! Recall them or vote for someone else. I personally have no time for politicians who do the Mandatory Minimum.

Jaimoe Sep 14, 2021 - 7:50 am

This kinda sounded like an advertisement. Now I know where my friends and I are going for the weekend….party hard!!!!
Thanks Carol

DaTruth Sep 14, 2021 - 8:28 am

Kudos to this resident- as an Antioch resident, I have heard you and know that we care because we also deal with similar issues out here. It is a shame that these board of supervisors give themselves pay raises which in turn drive up the cost of living in CCC and do nothing besides regulate agencies such as CCHS and not uphold the quality of life that once was in CCC. I hope local agencies can do something about this.

Mrs P Sep 14, 2021 - 9:12 am

Lets hope this gets the attention of the people who will truly take action. Her letter is spot on. It is not upro the residents to continue to police (or observe and report) these events. Its shameful that two lives were lost due to the in action of those who had the ability to stop these parties years ago

Judy O Sep 14, 2021 - 10:42 am

very well written! I find it utterly amazing that the Sheriffs Office won’t go out there and put a stop to ir.

Gentleman Jim Sep 14, 2021 - 3:39 pm

This sounds like events where a resident is paid large mount of money to sublet his dwelling for a party where hundreds are attending. These attendees are destructive people assembling from God-Only-Knows-Where and just creating havoc. I’ve seen irritated neighbors go into such places —- with the proper “equipment” and drive these hoodlums out running. It doesn’t matter whether it’s daytime or nighttime! They scatter!

Lance Sep 14, 2021 - 3:39 pm

So you want a permission process for having a large party? You want the same County body you say is useless enforcing new rules with money-per-party as the obvious result? Nah. I’d prefer freedom with all its warts. Curtailing freedom won’t solve the bigger problem of manners, accountability and grace. I don’t need a government structure to decide if I can throw a party. You can sue me if I am, in fact, reckless. Don’t look to Fascism to solve rudeness. You’ll get both.

KR Sep 14, 2021 - 5:13 pm

We have a do nothing Dianne Burgos Supervisor and an Afraid Sheriff ? Contra Costa needs new leaders if the current ones can’t do their job .
Great letter, I hope more come out calling out the failed public leaders.

KAC Sep 16, 2021 - 2:26 pm

Same things are happening on dutch slough and never stopped. 3 day raves and sheriff’s just drive on by and never stop. Burgess and sheriff is failing is on all levels

Fat politicians Sep 16, 2021 - 3:04 pm

Burgis and sheriff are both do nothing cowards living the fat life on public funds. Don’t expect either one to do anything but cash pay checks and get fatter!

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