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Opinion
Smoky Mountain News
Justice for all? Hopefully, one day in the future W
Let’s enable police to do it right To the Editor: On Monday, May 25, George Floyd of Minneapolis was the latest victim of wrongful police killings. May Mr. Floyd be the last. Change is possible. A decade ago, with one of the worst problems of excessive force and killings of unarmed people nationwide, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department implemented body cams and trained police in de-escalation techniques. By 2014, there were no deadly force incidents involving unarmed suspects and a decrease of police shootings by 36 percent. We in the Jackson County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have an ongoing dialog with our county sheriff and police departments, and we salute their interest in better policing. We join the national NAACP in supporting the end of pretextual stops and stop and frisk tactics. We urge congressional candidates to commit to enacting national standards for police accountability such as the End Racial and Religious Profiling Act (ERRPA) and the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act (LETIA), which provide enhanced oversight for police departments. We also support local law enforcement training on implicit bias and effective data collection on traffic stops. As a community, let’s enable law enforcement policy development to eliminate wrongful police killings. Enrique A. Gómez PhD President, Jackson County NAACP Sylva
gruesome as it was to watch, is just the latest. As a white man of the South I’ve been outraged at the treatment I’ve seen in too many videos and of the backlash against those who call out the guilty. According to the New York Times, about 1,000 people a year — of all races — have been killed by police since records have been kept. I know the Trump supporters will retaliate, but you gotta call it like you see it, and the president has done nothing except throw fuel on the fire. Since Charlottesville in 2017 when he called white supremacists “fine people,” and even before when he referred to “shithole” countries in Africa, the president has done little to assuage the belief among many that he does not Editor care about people of color, or that he is in fact racist. Since Floyd’s killing, no national address, no call for better relations between different groups, no soothing words for a nation broiling with rage. That’s this president. A Mahatma Ghandi quote I read somewhere in the last few days seems appropriate: “A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.”
Scott McLeod
hen I saw the video of the mostly young crowd marching Monday night in Waynesville to protest the killing of George Floyd and the systemic, violent racism that still exists in this country, it gave me a jolt. I was proud of those who turned out, but also feared it would turn violent. It didn’t, and it’s these mostly young people who will bring needed changes to this country if those of my generation can just get the hell out of the way. And that this small protest happened in this place in Western North Carolina where people of color are so few made it even more meaningful. The reaction to Floyd’s death is different than the protests of other racially motivated police killings. Perhaps it’s the pandemic, perhaps it’s the mass unemployment (almost 25 percent of the workforce), perhaps it is because it happened amid the stay-at-home orders we’ve been enduring, but it just feels different. As we grapple with this reality, let’s not confuse the rioting and looting of opportunists and criminals with the message of the protestors. No sane person condones rioting and the dangers it presents to law enforcement and small businesses, but we surely by now must realize how dangerous it would be to dismiss the root causes of these protests. The truth is that innocent people are being murdered merely because of their color. The killing of George Floyd,
LETTERS Trump makes us the laughingstock To the Editor: Did you know there is a group of essential workers who will not be getting a stimulus check under this administration — workers who pay taxes and contribute to the Social Security funds. They pick our fruits and vegetables and labor to keep us fed. They are undocumented immigrants, many of whom have lived in this country for 20 years and have raised families here. And I am only talking here of immigrants working 20 or more years in our country. Even though they are among the most needy, they will not receive a cent of stimulus money. This is incredible pettiness. We are a great and rich nation. We can feed our workers in time of need. A recent campaign slogan stated “Make America Great Again.” These petty policies do not make America look great. They make us the laughingstock of the rest of the world We deserve better than this. Paul Strop Waynesville
The making of a cluster outbreak To the Editor: Donald Trump doesn’t want to wear a face mask. He feels he looks ridiculous in one. Donald Trump wants no restrictions in his need for many attendees to the upcoming
A few days ago I almost took the bait when an old college friend wondered on his Facebook page why people take to the streets when they witness wrongs instead of talking to each other about the problem. Think Boston Tea Party, think abolition, think women’s suffrage, think Anti-Saloon League marches for prohibition, think Bonus Army veterans marching on D.C. in1932, think civil rights and the Vietnam War, think of the recent Women’s Marches. Our citizens have taken to the streets time and again to steer public opinion, help right wrongs and fight injustice. It’s what we do. Like so many other problems plaguing this racially diverse country that breeds savagely independent, free-thinking and idealistic citizens, this issue of violence against people of color will cause much more pain before it’s solved. No easy answers, no quick fix. That’s the sobering reality. I was having a beer on Saturday afternoon with an African American man who lives in Buncombe County, a recent acquaintance. He talked about providing a home for his young nephew. “A great kid,” he said of him, but in almost the same breath he verbalized heartfelt fears for the young man as this time of violence and outrage convulses the country. As a white man, I had no words of reassurance. Innocent people of color are dying unjustly, and it just shouldn’t be. (Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)
Republican National Convention in North Carolina. Donald Trump has politicized the wearing of face masks. Thus, he wants thousands of people at the convention cheering him on and no face masks in sight. His followers will follow him. Thousands of Trumpers will be crammed together for hours in Charlotte. Some of them will inadvertently bring COVID-19 into the convention hall. As a result, this convention will be the epicenter of a huge cluster of COVID transmission and from there back out into the country. Very irresponsible. Daniel Perlmutter Cullowhee
Local customers are much appreciated To the Editor: We would like to express our gratitude for the opportunity to serve you and say thank you for your business. These last few months
have been challenging for everyone and especially for small businesses like Waynesville Tire. We have been blessed by our loyal customers.
We have had to reconfigure our ways of meeting your needs and at the same time striving to keep you — our customers — and our employees safe and healthy. This has required us to give you curb service since March. We will be continuing these same practices in the coming weeks for the health and safety of all. We can never tell you how much we appreciate your patience and understanding and we look forward to serving you for years to come. And remember, we can’t do anything about COVID-19 but we can still cure baldness. Jeff McCall, owner Waynesville Tire
