Letters: Readers discuss a Japanese anti-crime idea, Trump’s taxes and Tyree Bell
Paint them up
I saw on Facebook a brilliant idea from Japan that could prevent injuries and save innocent lives here. Police and shop owners keep orange paintballs handy so they can hurl them at suspects or their cars fleeing a crime scene instead of pursuing them.
The paint is very hard to get off (and it’s fine with me if it never never comes off). It makes it hard to get lost in traffic, and the car and driver are marked as trouble.
Too many people are injured or killed in police chases. I would love to see our police forces look into this.
Penny Zadeh
Overland Park
Aspire to more
When I look at the freshman members of Congress this year, their hope and dreams are inspiring. They understand that Americans thrive on huge challenges. They believe in our abilities to think creatively and invent solutions to problems.
We’ve been called the leaders of the free world. Why? Because we’ve always had a treasure of incomparable value, the willingness to work together to achieve great goals. We’re Americans, and we make a difference. They still see it.
We need new energy sources to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for electricity. Developing them will create better-paying jobs with a better quality of life. Do all our jobs now make us proud? They could, if we were rebuilding roads, bridges, schools and water lines. Why aren’t we?
Why are hospitals closing? We could be building them and creating medical careers for those working in them. Put all the American ingenuity we can muster into agreeing on a 21st-century prosperity program. The growth, the progress we need to succeed in this century and beyond exist.
You can’t drive a car looking in a rear-view mirror. Obviously, we can’t “drive” our country that way either.
Joyce Steinbuch
Lathrop, Missouri
Not a priority
I am not a fan of Donald Trump as president, but I don’t understand the furor over not revealing his tax returns.
I already know he makes a great deal more than I do on Social Security. And I really don’t care what he claims for exemptions if they’re legal. The responsibility for verifying the correctness of his returns belongs to the IRS, not me and not Congress.
Let’s get back to Congress and the executive branch handling the nation’s business, and not the practice of me versus them or them versus me.
Paul Zolotor
Kansas City
So many questions
Tyree Bell’s experience as reported in Sunday’s Star raises so many questions. (6A, “Judge throws out case of black KC teen wrongfully imprisoned”)
Didn’t the discrepancies between Bell’s appearance and location and those of the original suspect seem odd to Officers Jonathan Munyan and Peter Neukirch?
Why did it take three weeks and multiple requests from Bell’s mother for Detective John Mattivi to review the dashcam footage?
What’s the purpose of a dashcam if it’s not reviewed — especially when contested?
Wouldn’t the regular review of such data save untold suffering and distress to innocent Kansas Citians, as well as unnecessary legal work, which takes an enormous toll on families and taxpayers?
Is this an isolated event or one of many?
Are we attempting to learn more about the fallibility of cross-race eyewitnesses?
How can we support our police officers and help them do a better job?
Are there actions taken when officers are mistaken? Apologies to victims? Compensation?
U.S. District Judge Greg Kays ruled there was no violation of Bell’s constitutional rights. What about his human rights?
Mary E. Schultis
Kansas City
Listen to us
Here in Missouri, government of the people, by the people and for the people is in jeopardy. Constitutional Amendment 1 — Clean Missouri — passed with 62% of the vote last November. That’s more votes than any statewide candidate received.
We said we want our votes to count and that we want to be represented by people who have our values. And we want transparency in our government.
Our state legislators don’t believe we understood what we voted for. They’ve redefined the Sunshine Law to keep their records secret. They misinterpret the law because they don’t want us to know that the Senate majority and minority leaders (a Republican and a Democrat) will select the next person to balance our voting districts.
Tell your state legislators we the people have changed the Missouri constitution for the better. Tell them to stop introducing bills that undermine what we the people have voted for.
Ellen Wentz
Kirkwood, Missouri