TNT letters to the editor, 3/9/2021
Voting rights
As an allegedly free, formerly incarcerated person, I see Washington House Bill 1078 as a human rights bill.
It gives us a chance to finally exercise one of the freedoms we are supposed to have as citizens. Our right to vote, to be heard on issues that affect our lives, is crucial to our well-being and success.
We are released from these institutions with the illusion that we are free, but we are not. As soon as we step back into our communities, we are deemed deviant and treated as outcasts of society.
So many things are stacked against us already, such as limited access to housing, employment, home loans, etc. We should not have to wait the months or years that we are on community supervision for our vote to count.
HB 1078 gives us all a chance to use our vote to change our lives. The state Senate must do the right thing for more than 20,000 Washingtonians who currently cannot vote and pass this bill this year.
La’Keisha Hamilton, Tacoma
Police violence
Re: “Tacoma police disproportionately use force against people of color,” (TNT, 3/8).
According to this analysis in The News Tribune, “Tacoma police use force against Black people at roughly five times the rate they do against white people.”
Although there are several references to “context,” the implication is that this is largely a reflection of systemic racism in policing.
But what if Black Tacomans are about four times more likely to be involved in committing a murder than non-Black Tacomans? Would that provide another equally important part of the puzzle?
In 2020, there were 32 murders in Tacoma. In 21 of them, the race of the alleged offender(s) can be identified: nine Black and 17 non-Black individuals. Based on Tacoma’s 11% Black population, this indicates that a Black Tacoman was 4.3 times more likely to be tied to a murder than a non-Black Tacoman.
How can that not be relevant? And yet there is no hint of this discrepancy in the published analysis.
Racial injustice is a complex chicken-and-egg sort of thing. Blaming it all on police racism is grossly unfair.
J.H. Mayer, Tacoma
School name change
Re: “Meet Dolores Silas for whom Wilson High School has been renamed,” (TNT, 2/21).
It’s such a waste of money to change the name of Wilson High School at the whim of a few.
High school names are a part of our local history and should be retained, not changed. How many Tacomans truly care about the activities and policies of President Woodrow Wilson more than 100 years ago?
Dolores Silas is a perfect local name for a new school. Let’s apply our dollars, energy and time to consider present concerns, not past.
Judy Moyer, Tacoma
Reopening schools
Re: “Tacoma students share fears of soon returning to in-person learning” (TNT, 3/5).
If we property prepare, students might return safely to school. Besides wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing and vaccinations, the school buildings need to be updated with sufficiently adequately filtered air.
HEPA filters in the building’s HVAC systems, followed by industrial-grade ultraviolet lights that kill airborne viruses inside the ducts, will add an increased level of safety to the return to school of our students and teachers.
By following the science and technology that are available, we can make this happen.
Ron Morrison, Tacoma
This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 11:47 AM with the headline "TNT letters to the editor, 3/9/2021."