Letters for July 14, 2016

The wrong fight

Re “Fighting words” by Ngaio Bealum (SN&R Essay, July 7):

The contention that it should be expected that opposing protest groups will “go at it” should not be the order of the day. That violence has been—and is—perpetrated by our military, gun lobbyists, the media and our entertainment industry only adds to the already revenge-hungry attitude in this country. What message is that sending to our youth? As for First Amendment rights, we must deal with the fact that everyone has the right to free speech. Sorry. Maybe those racist group protests should be ignored altogether. Why try to challenge a group whose minds won’t be changed anyway, and give them the publicity they seek?

Barb Rohrer

Roseville

Not cool, bros

Re “Bros gone wild” by Dave Kempa (SN&R Feature Story, July 7):

Your cover story utterly distressed me. The author persisted in showing rude, self-centered, irresponsible activities as admirable. I’ll grant that some people find their fun in ways that endanger them: fine. But it seems to me that really admirable people can find ways to have fun without needing to mock people who are doing their jobs (in this case, law enforcement). And especially without leaving a disgusting public mess for others to clean up. There are countless other people who are leading pleasurable lives in ways that don’t diminish others’ quiet enjoyment of the world we share. Some of them are very, very cool individuals indeed. Write about them.

Kate Styrsky

Sacramento

Make some room

Re “Build and support” by Jeff vonKaenel (SN&R Greenlight, July 7):

It is true the LGBT Community Center desperately needs a new center. It has been in operation through good and bad times for 30 years. During that time, literally thousands have come to the center for assistance. As the center and its supporters consider a new space, they must consider there should be room to include the Lavender Library. The library used to be located in the center. These two organizations are the two greatest resources for the LGBT communities and should be reunited under the same roof.

Jerry Sloan

President Emeritus and Co-Founder of the LGBT Center

Correction

In “Dysfunction Junction” (SN&R News, June 30), it was reported that Regional Transit’s recent layoffs comprised mostly minorities and women, according to the Local 256 for the Amalgamated Transit Union. SN&R did not specifically ask RT to confirm or refute the discrimination allegations made by union officials before going to print. According to RT’s incoming General Manager Henry Li, half of the affected employees were white and half belonged to minority groups. SN&R regrets the oversight.