Letters for June 16, 2016

Party politics

Re “Make facts great again” by Blake Gillespie (SN&R Scene & Heard, June 9):

There is a difference between America’s two political parties: The Republican Party remains a good-old-boy network of failed supply-side economic policies, anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-immigration religious extremism and a bastion of white power.

On the other hand, eight years ago, America was thrilled that the Democratic Party overcame racial prejudice and selected the first black man to be its presidential nominee. And what a good choice it has proved to be.

Now, the first woman in American history has clinched enough delegate votes to be the Democratic presidential nominee in this year’s election. The past eight years have been transformational with the Democrats proving that anyone of any gender or race can be president.

Ron Lowe

Nevada City

Who’s the target?

Re “Locks and chains” by Dave Kempa (SN&R News, June 9):

I agree wholeheartedly with Dave Kempa that we need to do more for people who are homeless and people who are addicted to drugs, but as someone who depends upon his bicycle for local transportation, it seems to me that if the Sacramento Police Department is “targeting” anyone with its bait-bike program, it is simply people who steal bicycles that they know are not theirs. Drugged or not, homeless or not, financially desperate or not, these people know that they are stealing something that belongs to someone else.

Rob Sawyer

Sacramento

No sympathy

Re “Locks and chains” by Dave Kempa (SN&R News, June 9):

So, let me get this straight: Felons who repeatedly steal our bikes should be “given” free bikes, money, and more taxpayer-funded services instead of being punished for their crime?

Not buying that. As someone who’s had three bikes stolen from his garage and off the street—and was barely able to get the police to even take my report—I have no sympathy for a soft approach on anyone in our community that steals. There are still way too many bike ripoffs in our community; just look around at the number of single tires attached to a bike rack, or frames minus their wheels.

I applaud the Sacramento Police Department for their bait-bike program and their efforts to shame those who they catch.

Steven Maviglio

Sacramento

Corrections

Stephanie Mash, Mayor Kevin Johnson’s former Stand Up and current African American Mayors Association executive director, was incorrectly identified in a recent news story (“Brand indemnity” by Nick Miller, SN&R News, June 2).

In the Streetalk column in the May 19 issue, the images identifying Felicia Byrd and Peggy Wheeler were incorrectly swapped.