TNT letters to the editor, 3/13/2021
Property rights
Re: “6-story apartment building planned for Tacoma’s Proctor district sparks cry for reform,” (TNT, 3/9).
We used to enjoy visiting the Proctor district and its shops, restaurants, the Blue Mouse Theater, etc.
But as more multistory apartment buildings appear, none with adequate garage parking for their own residents, the lack of street parking has made it a far less desirable place to visit, shop or eat.
The latest proposed multistory building would contain 95 units and 45 garage spaces! Do they really think half the residents won’t have cars?
Plus, the concept of reasonable zoning is apparently not even a consideration. Do they plan to reimburse owners of adjacent single-family homes for loss of privacy, sunshine, view and resale value? Doubtful.
What’s needed is “clarifying language barring height bonuses on any portion of properties within 100 feet of any single-family residential zoned lot or two-family dwelling zoned lot,,” as one neighbor notes in the TNT article.
These issues apply to all areas of the city, not just Proctor. The time has come for reasonable regulations to preserve neighborhoods and commercial districts, while also encouraging growth and expanding housing options.
Mary Stanton-Anderson, University Place
Police violence
Re: “Tacoma police disproportionately use force against people of color,” (TNT, 3/8).
The percentages of use of force per population groups published in this article are uninterpretable because they are not controlled for the number of interactions between a given population group and the police, nor for the nature of the interactions.
Are there five times as many interactions between police and Black citizens? Or are there the same number of interactions and five times the use of force?
It is stated that there are three times the number of arrests of Black individuals but no indication of the numbers of arrests per interaction.
What percentage of these incidents involved weapons or resistance to arrest? What percentage was initiated by calls for assistance as opposed to street stops?
Without publication of these data, the article was provocative but not informative. Reform can only begin with an interpretable analysis.
John R. Huddlestone, Tacoma
Tacoma technology
In 1991, The Economist described Tacoma in these terms: “A Smokey [sic] industrial Sparta next to the high-tech Athens of Seattle.”
The unfortunate reality is that nothing has changed and the city remains stagnant today.
Tacoma remains a struggling industrial city dependent on sectors such as retail. City officials rejoice when they bring in call centers to offset job losses, like after the departure of Russell Investments.
Tacoma is struggling to shake off a struggling legacy and to transform itself as a city that looks to the future. Of the city’s current 27 committees, boards and commissions, not a single one is focused on technology.
This should be a top priority for city officials. 2021 would be a great year to establish such a board as Tacoma is far behind Seattle, which has had a tech board since 1995.
Perhaps having a board to advise city officials on how to bring more tech-oriented companies to Tacoma will stimulate more economic growth.
Daniel Kirichenko, Tacoma
Trump politics
Re: “March 4 threat against Capitol proves to be a mirage,” (TNT, 3/5).
So let’s recap. Mexico did not pay for the wall, we did not wake up one morning and find the virus was gone “like a miracle,” the election was not rigged or stolen, and Donald Trump did not retake the presidency on March 4, the country’s original Inauguration Day.
What does this tell us? That apparently P.T. Barnum was right: You can fool some of the people all of the time.
Donald Rutledge, Tacoma
This story was originally published March 13, 2021 at 11:07 AM with the headline "TNT letters to the editor, 3/13/2021."