We’re mad and we’re not gonna take it anymore.

That’s one message we’re hearing from people who live, work and believe in the western Montgomery County area. Many of those groups and individuals are working with government officials and/or mounting grassroots efforts to save their communities’ historic structures, address blight and decay, and clean up their neighborhoods.

And we’re not just talking “clean up” with a broom and dust pan.

In St. Johnsville, for example, a community policing initiative by village police and residents fed up with crime has the support of a core group of individuals — including school administrators.

Launched in July, the program is still in its infancy, so it’s too early to tell how effective it might be; but Police Chief Diana Callen says it has served as one avenue for residents and business owners to express concerns and for local police to ask for help in the reporting of criminal activity.

The group’s next meeting is Monday, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m. in the Community House. All are welcome to attend, and Callen encourages residents with questions or concerns to call the local police.

In Fort Plain, the round-up on Monday of a number of suspected drug dealers is (hopefully) the first step in stemming a bigger quality-of-life issue there.

Following the sweep that netted nearly a dozen drug-related arrests, Police Chief Robert Thomas III said he hopes to enforce the village’s recently adopted nuisance abatement law.

The ordinance, which was unanimously approved by the village board Nov. 19, gives Thomas and Code Enforcement Officer Barry Vickers some clout in their dealings with the owners of deteriorating properties.

It also addresses problems with individuals charged with or convicted of drug-related activities or engaged in patterns of behavior such as loitering or disorderly conduct.

As outlined in the law, certain violations of state penal law or village codes are assigned points: Violations involving marijuana or controlled substances, loitering and disorderly conduct are equivalent to six points.

Violations of village code that fall under the headings of noise, property maintenance, animals, abandoned vehicles, solid waste, and building construction and fire prevention are worth four points.

When points accumulate, the enforcement officer is required to notify the property’s owner, tenant and mortgage lender of the violations. Offenders accumulating 12 or more points within six months or 18 or more points within a 12-month period can be issued an appearance ticket, with 30 days to eliminate the nuisance.

Enforcement can take place even without a criminal conviction on the part of offenders.

Once he’s handled the criminal aspect of the recent drug investigations, Thomas said his intention is to “move forward with the new ordinance against one residence.”

In the meantime, local residents need to be alert for suspicious activities and report them to local law enforcement officials.

We all need to be part of the solution.