Letters: KC readers discuss covering for criminals, campus conservatives and coin crunch
Goes two ways
After reading about Kansas City’s low homicide clearance rate and a recent felony assault charge against a police officer, it occurred to me that the police department and the community have something in common: Neither group will provide witness against its own.
Therefore, criminals run free on the streets, and bad cops continue in their jobs.
Who will step up to fix the problems among their peers?
- Joseph Taylor, Overland Park
Voices left out
As a supporter of the movement to abolish the University of Kansas police department, I was incredibly disappointed to read Michael Ryan’s column on the issue. (Aug. 24, 7A, “Petition calls for abolishing KU’s campus police department”)
Ryan tries to terrify readers with a dystopian image of crime running rampant across campus. He ignores that violent crimes are handled by the Lawrence Police Department and that the KU police are notorious for mishandling the sexual assault cases Ryan feigns concern for.
He never addresses the actual aim of defunding KU’s police department — using its $5.8 million in funding to sustain counseling services and staff that might otherwise be lost to COVID-19 budget cuts. Ryan also quotes a KU member of Turning Point USA, a far-right organization whose founder and president insists Black Lives Matter protesters “just want to watch America burn.”
Using far-right sources while ignoring the voices of Abolition KU is journalistic malpractice akin to writing a story about the Civil Rights Act and quoting only Bull Connor.
The coalition in support of abolishing the KU police to protect Black students from over-policing and violence argues in good faith. It’s a shame Ryan, whose column will be all some readers hear about the movement, refuses to.
- Ben Wieland, Shawnee
By the numbers
President Donald Trump likes to mention stock market performance as one of his major achievements. According to Forbes and CNN, the stock market has gained about 50% over his almost four years in office, which would be slightly better than the 10% yearly long-term average gain for the market.
The market value almost tripled under President Barack Obama and more than tripled under President Bill Clinton. Markets during both these presidents’ eight-year terms outperformed President Ronald Reagan’s eight years. President George W. Bush’s eight years showed a decline in market value.
Going back further, the market historically does better with a Democrat as president than a Republican.
- Kent Higman, Kansas City
One final chance
I have a question for conservatives — and no, this is not meant to be sarcastic. Is it possible to let one’s conservatism create too much of a mindset against change — against innovation, or thinking outside the square — when the world is changing so rapidly and so dramatically? Our survival depends on adaptation, not staring at the oncoming headlights.
And also, relying solely on untrammeled capitalism will not serve us well, if the obscene inequality of wealth and income, the utter neglect of our infrastructure and the export of our manufacturing are examples.
As an independent, here is my strategy for the upcoming election: First, defeat the disastrous incumbent. Second, give the Democratic Party one last chance to get it right.
If the Democrats succeed, we all benefit. If they fail, then perhaps we should abandon the old overemotional allegiances and consider the formation of new parties.
- Patrick Shannon, Lawrence, Kansas
They won’t change
Want to know why there is a national coin shortage? I took my large accumulated amount of coins to my bank, the second-largest bank in the nation. I asked to deposit the coins in my account, as I have done there in years before. Now the employees tell me that because I am not a commercial customer, they won’t accept them unless I wrap them. If I don’t have the time or dexterity to do that, I must take them to a counting machine like those found in some stores.
Those commercial machines charge 15% of the value of the coins. That means I would lose about $50 to cash in my coins. It would take me a long time to wrap all of them. I won’t do it, national shortage or not.
How many others feel the same? My coins are legal tender. How can banks legally put restrictions on accepting them? They used to take them, send them downtown to their machines and then credit the amount to my account.
Coin shortage? This is certainly part of the reason.
- John Sherbo Jr., Kansas City