I am a Bucknell graduate and member of the Lewisburg business community. I live on Seventh Street in Lewisburg, and following my graduation in 2006, I purchased the local taxi company and have made my home and life here.

I consider the conduct of these students to be truly appalling, and the fact that they feel they are the persecuted ones adds a sickening insult to injury. Never in all my time at Bucknell and in Lewisburg have I seen such disrespect by Bucknell students of the local community and a lack of ability to control themselves in the streets.

Night after night I hear screaming, carrying on, and cursing. I witness urinating, public drunkenness, and all other types of unruly and disruptive behavior.

In my day, we partied harder than these lightweights today and we did it with respect --of ourselves and the community. These immature miscreants lack both. The former I don't care about, but when you lack the latter you run afoul of me and my town. Myself and my fellow residents own this town, own the streets and by god we are going to get them back.

I'll be at every committee gathering in support of our police force. Paul Yost is a firm but fair police chief and to see him and his department portrayed in such a light is dismaying.

Jordan Franklin wants to play audio clips taken completely out of context and point to that.

I have a neighbor on St. Catherine Street with video of Bucknell students partying in the yard next door, cursing and screaming at her and even urinating on her picket fence, all while she cares for a newborn inside.

Franklin talks about how the students' "goal is simply for local police to treat his classmates with respect." To Mr. Franklin, I respond "Those who want respect, give respect!"

What I've learned in my transition from Bucknell student to true member of the community is that Lewisburg does not roll up the streets after the last day of finals. We get up every day and take it to the max for the betterment of our families and our lives and I for one am not going to sit still while these teenagers bad-mouth our town and our police.

Their conduct is deplorable, and their attitude even more despicable. Bucknell students who choose to live and socialize off campus do so as our guests. It is imperative that their attitudes change or we will use our political processes to put a stop to this permanently.

Paul Santomauro,

Lewisburg