Attention TNT: Sympathize with crime victims — not young pot shop murderers | Opinion

Sympathize with victims — not criminals

In its coverage of the guilty pleas entered by two teenagers charged with the murder of a local pot shop employee, The News Tribune spends an inordinate amount of space ruminating on the myriad of ways in which the two are victims of circumstances, only barely responsible for their actions.

One gets the impression your reporter considers the 25-year sentences they received to be as much a tragedy as their unprovoked murder of a store employee during a spree of violence that did not end with this death.

Rather than reflecting on the misfortune of these “promising boys who overcame tragedies and traumas in their own lives,” the TNT could instead have considered the lifelong impact on the innocent bystanders and employees.

How much tragedy and trauma are these two young men responsible for, and how much more would they be responsible for if not in prison?

Our sympathy properly lies with their victims, including the family of Jordan Brown.

A life of violent crime is not an inevitable outcome of childhood adversity. Marshon Jones and Montrell Hatfield have agency and are responsible for their actions.

Attempts to deflect from this with sympathetic stories are just a means of avoiding acknowledging their tangible, corrosive impact on our community.

Sean Butler, Tacoma

One-sided protest reporting

The News Tribune’s recent article on the protests surrounding U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer’s planned speech at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma demonstrates a breach of McClatchy and the TNT’s ethical guidelines.

The paper’s coverage of the protest emphasized a biased point of view which was in no way representative of the students, faculty, and staff at UPS, and entirely represented those of the university administration and Rep. Kilmer.

Regardless of where your views align on Israel’s war on Gaza, a few things must be acknowledged as true.

Firstly, Rep. Kilmer has repeatedly failed to support ceasefire measures in the House. This allows for Israel’s continued bombardment and the blockage of humanitarian aid.

Second, Israel’s tactics have resulted in a wide breadth of civilian casualties, including leaving Palestinian children wounded and parentless. This should give everyone a sense of the trauma caused for Tacoma and the university’s Palestinian population.

Asking students to “hear other voices” when those voices instill trauma, anguish and fear is reprehensible.

Perhaps we can listen to the opinions of others when it comes to taxes or zoning laws, but context matters.

Voices that make others unwelcome are never welcome.

Fletcher Crone, Tacoma

‘Ink-stained wretch’ — defined

In a recent letter to the editor, the author totally missed the intent of the phrase “ink-stained wretch” in his unnecessary attack on The News Tribune columnist Matt Driscoll.

“Ink-stained wretch” is a term of respect emphasizing the idea of someone who is dedicated to journalism and valued. While I hadn’t heard the phrase before, I felt the context was clear. It’s like saying “break a leg” or embracing “rebel scum” in Star Wars.

Before someone assumes the worst, they should take time to do some research.

Driscoll was doing the exact opposite of what he was accused of.

Angelie Coy, Tacoma