Letters for March 21, 2019

Re: “I’m listening and changing the city” by Darrell Steinberg (Essay, March 14):

Anyone can say they are listening. Mayor Darrell Steinberg has claimed to be listening for over two years now. So far he hasn’t done anything substantial to show we are being heard. He talks about money, and we see no results. He talks about reforms, but does nothing meaningful about them. We don’t need him to tell us he’s listening, we need him to show us that he HEARS us.

James faygo Clark

Sacramento / via Facebook

Community policing

Re: “Stephon Clark: One year later” by Raheem F. Hosseini (Feature, March 14):

Following the lead of San Francisco, some of our police officers should be walking beats and riding bicycles through our neighborhoods. This would help unify our city as a safe gathering spot for residents and surrounding businesses. Officers out walking the streets, talking with people and developing relationships create a positive presence and build trust that can help our efforts to ease tensions and make our city safe and welcoming for everyone.

Cops who practice community policing are statistically less likely to draw their guns. Having law enforcement officials monitor Sacramento from glass and steel bubbles isolates police from our communities, and it sets up us-versus-them hierarchy on our streets.

Evan Jones

Sacramento / via email

Callous disregard

Re: “Appropriate response” and “Who’s really at fault?” (Letters, March 14):

Regarding Stephon Clark, social media and letters are full of assumptions. Not all Sacramentans are so callous and disengaged. One letter said that the “‘police brutality’ amounted to somebody getting bumped by a bicycle.” One of them testified at City Council on crutches with a broken ankle. Another letter writer says, “If the protestors can’t see the whole picture and admit that Clark caused this, then it seems that they just want to make things worse.” What makes things worse are dismissive disrespect and misinformed opinions. The letter also says, “This was a crime that had a bad ending, but it was not a race issue until the lawyers entered the scene.”

Socioeconomic injustice and disproportionate use of force against people of color is a reality. Not all neighborhoods have the privilege of assuming that every family member will make it home safely at night.

Marion Millin

Sacramento / via email

A manufactured crisis

Re: “The case for homeless shelters” by Jay Schenirer (Essay, March 7):

This is a poor solution as it only puts a $40 million Band-Aid on a manufactured problem. The majority of homeless are simply an extension of the county jail. The inmates enter jail homeless and they leave jail homeless and fall into the same homeless patterns until they are jailed again.

The governor, the mayor and the Sacramento City Council have manufactured a homeless crisis to their advantage. The homeless issue is here to stay, and will never go away.

Terry Colorado

Sacramento / via email

Correction

Re: “I’m listening and changing the city” by Darrell Steinberg (Feature, March 14):

The photo of Mayor Darrell Steinberg should have been credited to Kris Hooks.