Nevada City, CA — A small but vocal group of Nevada City activists cited recent high crime data in attempts to deter tourism and development in the quaint Sierra Foothills town.
“This oughta do it,” said community organizer Laurie Oberholtzer in an impromptu comment. “We’ve been trying for months to confuse the people of Nevada City about the nature of tourism and development going on here with misleading mailers and flyers. But go figure. Then this report comes around about Nevada City being dangerous and now we don’t have to worry about new lodging permits or anything. Because no one is going to be coming here now. It’s a win, and we didn’t have to try.”
Following a recent report that Nevada City is perhaps the eighth most dangerous “city” in California, local anti-tourism and anti-growth activists celebrated this announcement by amplifying the data to absurd heights. Even though the city proper only has approximately 3000 inhabitants, the survey included many outlying unincorporated communities spread out over a hundred square miles. Accounting for dispersed geography, Nevada City proper has the crime rate similar to a Sunday Service at Sierra Presbyterian Church.
But that didn’t stop this loud vocal minority from having their way with the announcement.
“We’re planning a coordinated mail/radio campaign announcing the arrival of an outside police presence to conquer this crime spree in Nevada City,” continued Ms. Oberholtzer. “We can’t come right out and say the report is skewed, but we can use people’s fear of outsiders to our advantage here.”
According to people close to the xenophobic anti-tourism Friends of Nevada City, they are planning an extensive “There’s a lotta crime in Nevada City” campaign which will include posters, mailers and billboards on interstate 80 warning people not to come here unless they like getting mugged.
