Tee Alphonse: The Oak Tree is Gone, Now What Happens in Hessmer?

If you live in Hessmer, or even just pass through Hessmer on a regular basis, you might get the impression that the police station is located in the parking lot of the Baptist Church across from Super Shawn’s.

Now that’s not actually where the police station is.

But nine times out of ten, if you ride through town, you’re going to see Chief Kenneth Smith sitting right there in his patrol unit under the shade of that big oak tree in the church parking lot, keeping a watchful eye on traffic moving through town.

Well, that big oak tree is gone.

Word around town is that it was cut down this week.

Now to people outside of Hessmer that might not sound like much of a story. But for the locals, that tree had become somewhat of a landmark. It was the unofficial headquarters of Hessmer traffic enforcement and a spot where drivers knew they might want to double-check their speed coming through town.

Some folks around Hessmer refer to themselves as the 563 Mafia, which simply comes from the old Hessmer phone prefix. If your phone number starts with 563, congratulations, you are automatically eligible for induction. Maybe they can answer the questions below.

And with the tree gone..........

1. Without the shade of that oak tree, how exactly will Chief Smith continue protecting the good people of Hessmer from that strategic location?
2. Will the 563 Mafia cook a big jambalaya and raise some money to plant another tree, or maybe even build a carport right there so the patrol unit can stay shaded during those long hours of service?
3. Will crime decrease in Hessmer now that the chief might have to patrol a different area of town instead of sitting in that same location?
4. Or will crime increase because folks might think there’s no cop there anymore now that the tree is gone?
5. Will Super Shawns still be safe from robberies?
6. And perhaps the biggest question of all, if we plant a new tree today, will Chief Smith still be there in Hessmer by the time it grows big enough to give him shade again?

Around Avoyelles, these are the kinds of mysteries that keep a man thinking.