OZARK, MO — Sometimes, the absence of a story is the story.
After a torrent of frantic comments and speculation, our fearless CCT Reporter has emerged with the truth behind what is now dubbed the “Suspicious Ozark School Photo Incident.”
RECAP:
Last week, the CCT published an article entitled “Weird Times for Ozark PD and Ozark R-VI Schools”. The story was a snarky retelling of a situation the reporter deemed innocent, but the majority of the public deemed “suspicious”.
Our CCT Reporter pulled up in front of the Ozark R-VI Innovative Center/Administrative offices and snapped a quick photo with his phone without leaving his car before driving across the street to KFC to get one more photo of the building. School Resource Officers (two separate cars) arrived with a third vehicle, marked Ozark Police. SRO Officer (who didn’t introduce himself) informed the reporter there was a call of someone taking a picture of the building and asked for the reporter’s ID. The reporter complied. No further issue. All was well.
THE RESPONSE:
Many folks cheered the attentiveness of the SRO’s/OPD to keep children safe. A few were adamant in their defense of the U.S. Constitutional right to take a photo of a public building without need for ID or scrutiny. One lady thought the reporter was “auditing” local law enforcement to check whether they violate a citizen’s First Amendment rights.
THE TRUTH:
You know how stories that get blown up seem so fun to retell? But, the truth is kinda, well, boring?
Yeah. That’s the case here, too.
Anyway, the reporter wasn’t thinking about First Amendment Audits or School Safety. Both are unique topics unrelated to his line of thinking (or LACK of thinking!)
The reporter pleads guilty to being naive and somewhat ignorant of public opinion. He was just getting a picture for a public notice in the Christian County Trumpet about an upcoming School Board meeting. Nothing more. He was startled by the presence of uniformed officers, whom he thought at the time must be Ozark police, because he noticed one OPD car and two unmarked cars. The uniforms were later discovered to be Christian County Sheriff’s uniforms worn by Ozark School Resource Officers, none of which were familiar to our doofy, aloof reporter.
So, the presence of law enforcement questioning his innocent pic was baffling, but in hindsight, now totally understandable.
Please wait while our reporter removes all of the egg from his face!
WHAT OUR REPORTER LEARNED:
He is aware now that:
He lives in a world driven mostly by his own imagination, because he doesn’t live in town nor have kids in the Ozark School District. He doesn’t know the culture of the town folks and is now aware of their keen suspicion of anything relating to school safety. He can understand how parents in town feel.
He won’t be getting too many public-school building pictures from his personal phone. He’ll rely on Google images.
He doesn’t have a clue as to why someone would “audit” local authorities. That sounds like way too much effort and seems mean spirited.
All that to say, he doesn’t really understand town people. He lives in a world full of possibilities and unlimited opportunities. A free-thinking world where joy and peace are the objective, not suspicion and criticism.
But, he can sure understand a good story. And, this one has certainly become that.
I’m surprised no one commented like they did with the original story.
Ozark residents seem ready to criticize, rather than understand.
Wow. No one commented. They just criticize. When the truth is revealed, only crickets.