Re: Race tends to color our perspective of justice, May 3.
Mary Jo Melone does make some very good points about the Jennifer Porter/Lisa Wilkins case, but unfortunately, like most cases involving race, they are very one-sided. Yes, the "fear of the neighborhood" defense is a weak one, but why do we have to put all the blame in one place all the time? The city of Tampa deserves some of it: I drive that area regularly and have had to slam on my brakes dozens of times to avoid hitting people. There should be a traffic light at that crosswalk.
Also, sorry to say it because I truly feel for Lisa Wilkins, but trusting a 13-year-old with three kids, ages 2-8 - in a public place at night, no less - simply isn't wise. As a parent, I can't figure out what she was thinking. But that shouldn't affect how Ms. Porter is dealt with in court. That's for Ms. Wilkins to ponder forever.
Ultimately, Jennifer Porter's actions are inexcusable. She should have stopped that car to see if there was anything she could have done. It's suspicious, at best, that she failed to do so.
Why is it that on issues of race, our interpretation has to be, no pun intended, black and white? Isn't it possible that the fault doesn't always have to lie in one place and one place only?
-- Doug Saguto, Tampa
Why turn it into a racial matter?
I was very angry when I read Mary Jo Melone's May 3 column Race tends to color our perspective of justice. If Darlene Johnson would direct her energy to helping Lisa Wilkins, the mother of those children, develop better parenting skills instead of trying to make it into a black-and-white hate issue, she would really be doing something useful, and perhaps preventing another tragic accident from happening.
The mother of the children killed in the March 31 hit and run stated that she was satisfied with the way the case was being handled, so who is Darlene Johnson to be making demands for maximum punishment for the driver?
Justice doesn't come in black and white, as she states, and there are some questions that need answers on the other side:
- Why was a toddler as young as 3 years old on a busy street after dark, unsupervised?
- When night began to fall and the children had not yet returned, why didn't the mother go after them?
- Why was a 13-year-old child left in care of three other very young siblings? He obviously was not able to supervise them or the accident would never have happened.
- Why, when a sympathetic community came forward to help with the burial, did the mother use this opportunity to ask for clothing for her other children, saying they had needs?
Melone quoted Johnson as saying she felt black lives are not valued. It was not the white community that left three young children unsupervised. What value did the mother place on the safety of her children?
If public funds have been used to help this woman in any shape or form (medical bills, etc.), then taxpayers have a right to know what they are paying for, to say nothing of the enormous costs that will be involved to prosecute this case. Taxpayers come in black and white, and we have a right to know.
-- Eleanor Secor, Holiday
A victim of his own choices
Re: Teen's shooting called an "assassination," May 5.
Marquell McCullough was killed because he would not comply with law enforcement, and he tried to run down more than one police officer. Where was the anger from Marquell's family and the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) when Marquell chose to become involved with crack cocaine? Where was the anger from Marquell's family and InPDUM when Marquell chose to ignore law enforcement and put in harm's way those who are paid far too little to make the streets safe for all citizens, including Marquell, his family and all members of InPDUM?
Take off your blinders and realize this was absolutely not a racial issue. It was a matter of a person gone wrong by his own choosing, and suffering the consequences.
-- Laurie Griffith, Clearwater
Officers deserve support
Re: Teen's shooting called an "assassination."
I believe the term "assassination" is defined as the murder of a prominent person by secret or sudden attack. As far I know drug dealers are not believed to be prominent! I believe that the majority of people in this city are very glad that another drug dealer is off the streets of St. Petersburg.
It is unfortunate that another young man is dead, but he had a chance to give up and he chose his own destiny. He had 30 pieces of crack cocaine in his possession, which was obviously going to end up in some young kid's hands. I support every effort that law enforcement makes to cut down on an ongoing drug problem that we have in Pinellas County. Keep up the good work officers!
-- D. Barnes, St. Petersburg
Media coverage keeps wound open
Re: Trial may open old wounds, May 10.
I'm a St. Petersburg native, and your headline struck a nerve. The only reason this trial may open "old wounds" is that the media insist on bringing it up. At least twice a year when a St. Petersburg police officer is involved in an arrest that makes the paper, TyRon Lewis is mentioned - regardless if it has any relevance or not.
It is interesting the way the case is presented in your paper, and on the evening news. For example, in every article regarding the Lewis case, the word "bumped" is substituted for the word "struck" by a moving vehicle.
Every angle your publication takes on this tragic incident discredits the St. Petersburg Police Department. The attention given to this case and overall issue draws only one kind of attention: negative. It is only going to cause problems for the officers who are trying to do good for a city that rarely backs them up and conflict for the residents who genuinely want to better their community.
The residents and police officers of St. Petersburg work hard, every day to better their community. It is a shame that the media cannot focus on the good that they are doing and the accolades they both deserve.
-- Katie Hartigan, New Port Richey
Why focus on Uhurus?
Reading in the paper that the Uhurus had a "news conference" has me somewhat confused. Why does the media give this group coverage? Are the group's members a reputable representation of anyone? Most people I've spoken to who live in St. Petersburg have never heard of them. Can you explain why you cover them or attend a "news conference" held by them. Will you cover mine if I call one?
-- Tom Zarro, Clearwater
FCAT shows students what's important
Re: Elementary students outshine the rest on Florida test scores, May 11.
Congratulations, Gov. Jeb Bush! You have successfully changed the face of education among our youngest and most impressionable students. They now understand that all their efforts can be summarized by one single event. The have learned to take the test. Job well done. You will surely go down in history as leaving your mark on the Florida Department of Education.
Oops, history no longer counts. If it did, surely there would be a test for it. And even though the U.S. Surgeon General recommends children get a minimum of 60 minutes exercise per day, physical education isn't important for Florida students. So what if pediatric obesity is the leading health risk to our children, the subject of health has no value in our schools. If it did, surely there would be a test for that, too.
Our future is clearly brighter with this whole upcoming generation of inspired musicians, artists, scientists, historians, athletes, doctors, nurses and environmentalists. After all, these children did well on the FCAT!
-- Cheryl Hadley, St. Petersburg
Open college doors for these immigrants
Re: Tuition relief remains elusive, May 10.
I want to thank your paper for Saundra Amrhein's extensive and compassionate report about the plight that illegal immigrants face in attempting to better themselves via a college education.
Education can open doors to professional and well-paying jobs - that not only increase our tax base, but also reduce the cost of social services. So denying in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants who graduate from Florida high schools seems at best illogical. It is also does not pass the test of justice. Most of us enjoy very inexpensive food on our tables each and every day - primarily due to the low wages that these same immigrants are paid and the often inhumane conditions they work and live in.
As you pointed out in your article, our state legislators once again left Jacqueline Sanchez and other Florida high school graduates who are illegal immigrants down by not calling up legislation to grant them in-state tuition. We can solicit our legislators next year, but meanwhile Ms. Sanchez has to delay her education because she cannot afford the tuition. I do not have the means to provide the entire gap, but would be willing to donate $100 toward a scholarship for her. Would the St. Petersburg Times consider being the repository for such an education fund, as there may be others who would also want to contribute?
Thank you for your continued interest in all members of our community.
-- Karen Coale, St. Petersburg
Compassion works both ways
Re: Show compassion for Spanish speakers, letter, May 10.
Ah yes, we must show compassion for these people that the letter writer has working on my car, caring for my children and contributing so much to my economy - who couldn't bother to learn the language of the country in which they're trespassing.
Maybe they could show us some compassion, by not assuming that their being here is reason enough for an assumption of accomplishment.
As a child of immigrants (the legal kind, remember?) I heard the stories of this goofy language, difficult for an adult to learn, but it was done, of course. Of course, they wanted to become Americans, and did so as soon as they legally could.
Had my father seen a foreign language on a ballot in America he would have left at once for a country with more sense and fewer lawyers working against its best interests.
Yes, it is a good thing to be multilingual. I am, because it was easy with immigrant parents. No, I am not proud that today most Americans can speak only one language. I wish we could all enjoy the cultural benefits of being able to understand different thinking, older and newer, and I support the teaching of foreign languages in schools to our citizens' children.
I support tourist and emergency facilities having several language guide lists. I cannot support our public schools teaching in languages other than English because it simply holds children back.
Those wallowing in ignorance are those who move to a foreign country and expect everybody to learn their language and accommodate them. There is an arrogance there that I find unacceptable. I know they would find it unacceptable in their native countries.
-- Max R. Loick, St. Petersburg
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