Letters for March 14, 2019

Re: “That’s rich” by Dave Kempa and Raheem F. Hosseini (News, March 7):

Policing isn’t easy, and “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” is often the outcome. While the arrests of 84 mostly peaceful protestors was probably unnecessary, there was some vandalism and hassling of residents. When they were told it was time to disperse and go home, a lot of them were having too good a time taking selfies of each other taunting the police.

There is criticism that clergy were among those arrested, but they would have been discredited if they were allowed to walk away while their followers were zip-tied and taken away. Also, three journalists were cited, but if they had not been detained with everyone else, they would have complained that the police were keeping the public from knowing the truth.

If police had let protestors go into neighborhoods north of 51st Street, the news stories would be all about how the police lost interest once they left the privileged folks in the Fab 40s.

Long story short, the protestors got to make their point. The “police brutality” amounted to somebody getting bumped by a bicycle. No tear gas. No fire hoses. No police dogs. The police handled a tense situation that could have turned out very differently.

John S. Smith

Sacramento / via email

Who’s really at fault?

Re: “The ‘second killing’ of Stephon Clark” by Raheem F. Hosseini (News, March 7):

First off, I don’t agree with “Black Lives Matter” because “ALL LIVES MATTER.” What don’t the protesters believe about the District Attorney’s and Attorney General’s reports? Do they think it was made up?

If Stephon Clark had complied with the police officers, we would not be talking about this now, and he would have his day in court to explain the misdemeanors he would have been charged with. If the protesters can’t see the whole picture and admit that Clark caused this, then it seems that they just want to make things worse.

Why did this turn out to be a black and white crime? This was a crime that had a bad ending, but it was not a race issue until the lawyers entered the scene.

leo bloom

Sacramento / via email

Emergency response

Re: “Is this more than a fire drill?” by Foon Rhee (Editor’s note, March 7):

It seems to me that the big expense of emergency medical response is not who is staffing the vehicles, but that two vehicles are often dispatched, an ambulance and a fire truck. Not infrequently the fire truck is a ladder truck, which is the height of absurdity. Sacramento is the only place I’m aware of that automatically dispatches two vehicles, no matter what the emergency actually is.

Dan Allison

Sacramento / via email

Homeless fee

Re: “Spurning the mayor over shelter” by Raheem F. Hosseini (News, February 28):

I know how to end homelessness. Charge a fee for every bedroom that’s not being slept in. All it really takes is political will, from everyone.

Muriel Strand

Sacramento / via Facebook