Letters for September 10, 2015

SN&R denies Bernie, again

Re “Vote no evil” by various writers (SN&R Feature Story, September 3):

SN&R editorially has repeatedly put itself firmly in the Democratic Party establishment (Clinton) camp. So, I am not surprised at the display of willful or woeful ignorance by SN&R's writers in the article. Anyone who wants to know about Bernie Sanders' detailed positions on the issues raised by those writers, including bills he's already introduced, sponsored, signed onto, voted for or against, need only Google them. They are there, if you care. Apparently, SN&R writers don't.

Jan Bergeron

Sacramento

What about the environment?

Re “Vote no evil” by various writers (SN&R Feature Story, September 3):

I am surprised that “protecting the environment” was not included in the 10 issues that the presidential candidates absolutely need to discuss. Why are politicians avoiding such an important issue? In order to protect what’s left of our natural environment, two root causes of environmental destruction need to be addressed: the unsustainability of continued world human population growth and overconsumption of the world’s natural resources. If not addressed, symptoms of these causes, such as pollution, climate change, hunger and malnutrition, human displacements, endangered species extinctions and water shortages, will be exacerbated. Aren’t these important? If allowed to happen, these changes will reduce our quality of life on earth.

Chuck Knutson

Sacramento

Sad and common

Re “A shot in the park” by Nick Miller (SN&R Feature Story, August 27):

Nick Miller’s story pointed out a sad and too-common occurrence. When people with mental-health disabilities interact with law enforcement, it can result in tragedy. Paul Cantarutti’s mother called for help before he was shot by police. The responding officers decided he didn’t meet involuntary hold criteria, so they removed him from the home and dropped him off at an In-N-Out Burger.

There are better ways to handle these situations, starting with effective law-enforcement training. Crisis-intervention training helps officers recognize a mental-health crisis and gives them effective intervention techniques. CIT improves officer safety and helps individuals get appropriate mental-health services. This training works in many other cities and emphasizes collaboration between the police, mental-health providers and the community.

Sacramento County recently launched a co-responder service —unfortunately, too late for Paul.

Pamila Lew

Sacramento