‘Fighting’ Trump, Chiefs fans’ desires and KC streetcar mess

Splendid policing

With all the news about police shootings, we should look at the Police Athletic League of Kansas City, Kansas, at the community center in an old church on North Fifth Street. This is by far the best example of community policing in the metropolitan area. And it is very effective.

- Robert Graham, Overland Park

Fighting? Golfing

The front page of Thursday’s Kansas City Star quoted Melania Trump describing her husband, President Donald Trump, as “a president who will not stop fighting for you and your families.” In the same story, Eveleth, Minnesota, Mayor Robert Vlaisavljevich said, “Trump is fighting for all of us.” (“First lady makes case for Trump at GOP convention”)

I ask, where is the evidence? Where is the national strategy for fighting our invisible enemy, COVID-19, which has killed 180,000 Americans and counting?

Trump should be working hard with Congress on finding relief for the unemployed who are in dire straits through no fault of their own.

Trump should be a leader. Trump says he is not responsible.

Under Trump’s watch, in addition to the heartbreaking challenges of the pandemic, our country faces citizen unrest over systemic racism, which surfaces in the unjustified ongoing killings of members of minority group by police officers.

Where is our president? “Working” on his private golf courses.

So far, we taxpayers have provided untold millions for Trump’s golf outings, with this money flowing into his own pockets at his private resorts.

This reality reminds me of the story of Nero fiddling while Rome burned.

- Angela Schieferecke, Prairie Village

New traditions?

The entire Chiefs culture needs to be revamped. Let’s start with the name.

We can call the team the Chief Executives and change the logo to a cigar. All stadium staff members would then dress as butlers or maids, and players’ uniforms would be polo outfits.

Tailgating must also be renamed so as not to offend animals with tails or careless drivers (maybe “trunknicking” or “grillapalooza”).

The chop is more of a challenge: We can either use both arms to say “park here,” or do away with it entirely and have the cheerleaders do a pole dance.

One other thought would be to have fans vote (even by mail) whether to keep the traditions or to change everything.

- Tony Bradley, Kansas City

Over the top

University of Missouri associate marketing professor Joel Poor should not have been relieved of his teaching duties. (Aug. 26, 1A, “Remark to Chinese student grounds professor”)

The individuals in the department who suspended Poor should be disciplined. If that remark is all it takes to get such a severe response, then God help us.

- Curt Lowery, Kansas City

Loud and clear

Do you get it now? Do you still think it’s about the American flag and the national anthem? (Aug. 27, 2A, “17-year-old arrested in 2 Kenosha killings”)

- Larry Gunja, Leawood

Turn it around

Imagine if all the men and women being killed by police officers were white. What would the reaction and response be then?

Give it serious consideration.

- Shirley Lewis, Overland Park

Transit waste

Recently, I went downtown and didn’t recognize the messed up, ugly, jumbled mess Kansas City has turned into.

From streets closed off just for pedestrians to the mess the streetcars cause because of backed-up traffic and, of course, with the addition of streetcar tracks, limited lanes on our streets for cars — it is chaos.

Who in their right mind would want to even venture to downtown Kansas City beyond the Power & Light District?

And — oh, what joy — the city is going to receive federal funding to expand that so-called convenience, the streetcar. (Aug. 27, 1A, “Kansas City gets $50 million to extend streetcar south”) More streets with lane reductions and more bogged-down traffic, just so we can once again be like the “big kids on the block” cities that have streetcars?

Those millions of dollars could be used to make our buses more efficient. The money saved by not tearing up the streets and not buying more streetcars would, in my opinion, save us taxpayers a lot in the long run.

I still don’t understand why we need streetcars, which are limited to where they can go, as opposed to buses, which can go when and where they are needed.

What a waste of money.

- Carrol A. McAllister, Kansas City