If Tarrant County doesn’t go after these offenses, we are all going to be in peril
Celebration of the best
I have often stood in awe of the cohesiveness of the Como community. I now work in communities across the country who seek to embrace the sense of pride Como has. This past weekend, I saw Como come together in an unprecedented way. (July 6, 1A, “70th Como Day Parade unites neighborhood in celebration”)
Young adults took the mantle, grasping boldly their futures and charting the lives of their children. Supporting a festival that highlighted the health of the community, cultural arts, education, entrepreneurship and family life was a herculean effort and worthy of praise. The planners were dedicated to crafting a family gathering that stressed safety and community health.
Thank you, Como, for reminding us what true community based in traditional African American values can look like.
- Ralph McCloud, Washington, D.C.
The writer is a former Fort Worth City Council member.
Pride in the America we share
Well done to the Star-Telegram for the Fourth of July full-page printing of the Declaration of Independence. It was a vivid reminder of the courage and wisdom of our Founding Fathers to establish the greatest nation on earth. I was also encouraged to see more U.S. flags than usual displayed in my Woodfield neighborhood.
- Joe Blackwell, Bedford
Progressives are against freedoms
As I watched July 4 festivities on TV, I wondered how many people knew what they were celebrating. Does anyone think that most parents explained to their children that we were celebrating how our forefathers fought oppression, allowing us to live with the freedoms that we do now?
How many of our youth know that we were celebrating that severance from oppression from a dominating regime — the very thing progressives want to impose on us?
- Richard Downey, Euless
If you don’t know history …
While reading Bud Kennedy’s commentary in Sunday’s Star-Telegram about the controversy around the book “Forget the Alamo,” I was reminded of an enlightening conversation years ago with dear Hispanic friends from Arizona. (1C, “Texas officials boot ‘Forget the Alamo’ book, boost sales”)
When someone asked, innocently but out of ignorance, where in Mexico their ancestors had come from, the steely-eyed response was “Arizona!” Fact was, their family had lived there for generations in 1863, when Arizona became a U.S. territory.
This illustrates what presumptions and inherent biases we sometimes bring unwittingly to the understanding of our collective history.
- Silas O. Hughes Jr., Fort Worth
These crimes worth going after
Thank you, Mark Davis. Your Sunday commentary about the cite-and-release policy announced by Tarrant County law enforcement leaders shows our society is heading down a slippery slope. (5C, “There’s a crime wave — why are Tarrant police stopping some arrests for pot, theft?”)
If we give tickets instead of arrests for 4 ounces of pot, $750 of thefts or $2,500 in graffiti damage, pretty soon we will decriminalize those and other more serious offenses. If someone does $2,500 of graffiti damage to my property or steals $750 of my stuff, I want that person locked up.
I hope officials in our cities and county read Davis’ words and heed the warning. Let Dallas, Harris, Bexar and Travis counties do what they want. Keep Tarrant County safe.
- Harry Thompson, Bedford