Quotes cause discomfort

I am writing to comment on the story by Thomas Clouse titled “Man says brother victim of setup” (April 27). I read the comments that were posted online and most seem to draw criticism to J.D. Hop and his brother Michael for his intolerance of diversity in North Idaho and Spokane. I hope that was the intent of these quotes.

However, the quotes selected where Mr. Hop’s intolerance of diversity comes across loud and clear often help perpetuate the negative perceptions some of the Spokane residents already have, and I would rather not see them repeated in the printed pages of The Spokesman-Review. I want to believe the message these words convey is the opinion of a small percentage of Spokane and North Idaho residents.

It is surprising how much prejudice in the form of Mr. Hop’s quotes is allowed to be printed in the newspaper, yet when students and community leaders have met with the editorial board to discuss the DREAM Act, they do not get a single word they said about their tenuous circumstances printed in the newspaper. These decisions clearly indicate a deep flaw in the decision-making process of The Spokesman-Review’s editorial board.

Martin Meraz Garcia

Cheney