Sunday letters to the editor

Treat everyone with respect

It was upsetting to see George Floyd’s murder, which should have never happened. Many feel this only happens to Blacks. Otto Zehm, white person, was murdered in March 2006. He received limited news coverage. Otto was hit a least 7 times by a baton, tasered, and a nonrebreathable mask was placed on him and not attached to oxygen. He stopped breathing 3 minutes later. The policeman involved was sentenced to 51 months in prison.

One thing that would be of big help and limit a lot of the problems is when a policeperson tells you to do something follow their directions. This would limit a lot of the problems that we have been having.

The police department needs to do a better job of educating our policemen to be accountable and weeding out those who do not follow a set procedure. This includes having their body cameras on when enforcing the law and treating everyone with equal respect. It is a shame that we have a few bad ones in every occupations that give the rest of them a bad name.

All lives matter and everyone should be treated with equal respect.

Joe Schauble

Spokane

Defensible criteria

It’s wonderful to see that the overwhelming number of sincere protests of police brutality is leading to pledges of police reform in Spokane and elsewhere. The indefensible treatment of Black suspects especially is stark evidence of the need for change.

As the grandparent of an African American girl, I am appalled by the fact that my granddaughter has legitimate reason to fear for her life when peacefully encountering police in this country. Unfortunately, those protests and pledges and her fears will have little impact unless police departments make serious changes in the use of deadly force policies.

In both Spokane city and county the criteria for use of deadly force are so loose that any claim that a police officer felt threatened is sufficient to justify use of deadly force. I am convinced that the loosening of these rules has led to a combative policing environment that both encourages and excuses the use of deadly force.

Black lives matter. But present police procedures clearly demonstrate that protecting department reputations matters more than protecting lives. Policing is a difficult and necessary job and police officers deserve adequate protections in order to do that job properly. But, under no circumstances should the Spokane City Council agree to a new contract with the Spokane Police Guild until use-of-force criteria are meaningfully revised in such a manner that they provide defensible criteria for their application, in order to protect the lives of our populace and police officers equally.

Steve Blewett

Spokane

Victim-blaming in the media

Coming from a family of police officers, it is difficult but necessary to address the issues plaguing our nation. The horrifying footage of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis rightfully added fuel to a fire that’s been burning for decades. However, members of the media and countless leaders continue to discredit the legitimate issues we face by participating in victim-blaming.

Victim-blaming occurs when the victim of a wrongful act is held at fault for the harm that befell them. The media has put too much focus on the small minority of protests that escalated to looting and still are not fully focused on the problems. The violent behavior of people who hijack peaceful protests to loot is abhorrent; but victim-blaming has not solely occurred with violent protests. In 2016, NFL players were met with public outcry for peacefully protesting the same issue. Instead of focusing on what players were protesting, the media chose to change the focus and blame protesters for disrespecting the flag.

This shifts the narrative from the issues at hand and ultimately undermines the true problem. A survey from YouGov found that 63% of Black Americans are worried about the police using deadly force on them or a family member. The rate at which Black Americans are killed by police is more than double the rate of white Americans. Clearly, there is a problem.

We must condemn victim-blaming and focus our attention on the underlying causes of this movement: systemic racism and police brutality towards Black Americans.

Josh Weistaner

Post Falls

Thank you, SPD

Wanting to give kudos to Spokane police dept. They do a great job and need to know the department is appreciated. Thank you.

Mike Looper

Spokane Valley

Removing historical reminders

I’m glad to see and in support of the peaceful protesting and public dialog that is going on in these troubling times. Maybe we can finally start a meaningful path of conversation and action to deal with and remove racism in America. But in reference to removal of historical names, monuments, words, etc. dealing with slavery, I would like to remind everyone to remember the Spanish philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952), who said in “The Life of Reason” (5 volumes, 1905-6): “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” What’s next, historical reminders of the Holocaust, WWII, Vietnam, Northern Ireland, Rwanda, on and on, as these events also certainly bring up horrible memories and anxiety for many? Wouldn’t it be better to leave these reminders around so we never forget what “humanity” is capable of and to keep the dialog going and compel us to keep improving as a society?

John Herning

Spokane

Failing America’s intention

I join with all America as we grieve the horrible death of George Floyd in the grips of heinous police action. It was pure murder.

The nation, including George’s own family, has had to watch it over and over again on TV. We are all repulsed by the deplorable behavior of police officers – people I was always taught to respect.

I have been proud of our citizens of Spokane. Seeing recent pictures of them marching with signs, holding rallies, and even stopping the burning of our American flag (as Lysa Cole and Simone Richardson did) are positive actions that make a difference.

For 20 years I have been a teacher of immigrants – people of many colors and nationalities – who came to Spokane and wanted to learn English. Their reasons are usually the same: because of the freedoms we have in America. Upon graduation from our school, most become citizens. These are the people who are now starting businesses we all use, running for school board positions, and parenting children – many of whom excel in our schools.

Have YOU met any of them? Do YOU have friends who are of another race? This is the place to begin: by meeting them, listening to their stories, befriending them, boldly inviting them to your homes.

Our country was founded on the basic principles of equality and justice for all people.

Our founders were praying men. I am, too. We CAN bring our country back to being “one nation” as they intended. Will YOU pray for America, too?

If you believe in the values of our country, DO something positive to keep it strong.

Lorraine Halverson

Liberty Lake

Civil rights protests

I was 14 when Richard Nixon resigned, visiting an aunt in New Jersey, a Purple Heart Pearl Harbor survivor who chain-smoked Salem 100s and never married after losing her fiancée in the attack. When Nixon said “My fellow Americans,” she shut off the TV and said “I can’t watch this.” My dad and I went outside to listen in our Dodge station wagon. He grabbed two beers out of the cooler. It remains one of the memorable nights of my whole life, a clear affirmation of the power of free speech and sustained citizen protest.

I’m getting that same feeling again. Nixon’s dog-whistle “Law and Order” rhetoric and policies were a direct response to the third party challenge of Alabama’s George Wallace, an unapologetic racist who pushed Nixon and the GOP toward a more fully institutionalized racist and white-supremacist agenda. Wallace lives on in today’s white “militias”, whose claims of defending freedom ring hollow, a majority of Americans recognizing these displays as racist intimidation, and willing to call it out as such.

Jimi Hendrix’s “Machine Gun” shaped my political consciousness growing up, tying together the moral insanities of war, racism, and police-state violence. Hendrix is one among many Black American thinkers, artists, and even athletes who have served as moral teachers for our nation not despite but rather in direct challenge to the nation’s persistent violence toward them and rejection of them as fellow citizens and human beings.

Chris Norden

Moscow

E pluribus unum

Excuse me, but the Civil War was over in April of 1865. Jefferson Davis, his Cabinet, generals, and colonels were all treasonous secessionists – and should all have been jailed after the war. Davis only spent 18 months in jail!

All of these men caused great harm to the United States, not to mention the emancipated slaves. How on Earth could we have named ten of our military bases after these men? It’s time we end the war by renaming the bases, taking down statues of Confederate “heroes,” and banning the display of Confederate flags that honor these dishonorable men. They were all traitors and criminals.

Dick Boysen

Spokane

Our own autonomous zone

Is it time to reopen the idea of a new state from the crest of the Cascades to the Idaho border? With the creation of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone setting precedent, let’s revisit the state of Columbia/Liberty.

I’m thinking of putting up toll booths at the mountain passes and charging eastbound vehicles a fee to enter this new state. We’d be free of King County’s left-leaning voting tendencies; Jay Inslee could focus on Western Washington as he always has. I think the idea would work!

Eric Prater

Ellensburg