July 4, 2008
Q: It seems that nearly every evening when I go to Chili’s restaurant with my family there is a lot of young Sailors smoking and swearing right outside the doorway on the walk way. Earlier tonight I addressed the Sailors who were there smoking and one said there is no sign saying this is not a smoking area. I explained to them that I was a chief petty officer and that you can plainly see the ash trays in the courtyard and that swearing in public is not at all acceptable. They seemed put out but moved on. Can “No Smoking” signs be placed in that area?

A: We applaud your efforts! You did exactly the right thing by bringing this inconsiderate and unauthorized behavior immediately to the attention of the individuals involved. It is always inappropriate to smoke immediately in front of entrances to public buildings, regardless of whether there is a “No Smoking” sign or not. And as discussed previously in this column and elsewhere, inappropriate language is always unacceptable. We need more concerned leaders and community members to take actions just as you did in order to help minimize these occurrences. We sincerely regret the fact that we inadvertently forgot to replace the “no smoking” sign outside the Chili’s entrance following the renovation but we will do so shortly. Thank you very much for your feedback and your personal efforts to make Yokosuka a better place to live and work.