Sch’dy should be proud of response
All Schenectadians should be extremely happy and proud following the May 31 protest of the apparent murder of Mr. George Floyd.
A riot, with destruction of property and injuries to fellow citizens, would serve no good purpose and send a very mixed message.
After many weeks of hardship imposed by the coronavirus and further stress resulting from this recent killing, the easy thing would be to vent, boil over, and perhaps release some tension. The hard thing to do was to make a point peacefully and restrain from violence.
No thinking adult condones the murder of another human. The overwhelming majority of the people are with the protesters in principle.
I thank and respect Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford and all police on duty May 31 for communicating all of our concerns by “taking a knee.” I also thank and respect the protesters for non-violently highlighting the issues of police violence, injustice and racism. Because of your restraint and thoughtfulness your message was heard loudly and clearly and should be emulated across the country.
William Landis
Schenectady
America is broken
What is America?
By definition its freedom.
By definition, it is the land of the free and the home of the brave. It’s a melting pot of race, religion, culture, sexual orientation and preference.
It’s the world’s last superpower. But is this true. Is this America? No.
When you pull back the curtain and really take a look at the heart of America, it’s a mess.
It’s a country that is broken and bruised. A country where people fear that if they walk out of the door, they might be shot because the color of their skin is not white. Why? Because this Is America.
Samantha Sorbo
Schenectady
Show respect to our police officer heroes
Did anyone turn on the June 2 morning news?
Rioters are burning down our country, running rampant anywhere they like, taking anything, they want, whenever they want. Watching a video of a police officer being run down in the street, another being beaten by three “protesters,” another being shot outside a casino. There is chaos all around this great country. Does anyone see the irony in all this?
There are bad apples in every barrel, but it doesn’t make every apple bad.
Let’s show some respect and gratitude for what these police officers do and what they are up against every day. I personally would like to thank each and every one of these officers who are heroes to me every day not just during this pandemic but each day they lay their lives on the line for people they don’t even know.
There are plenty of police officers who deserve our respect and admiration. I know they have mine.
Kathleen Lamphere
Canajoharie
Remember Floyd with healing faith
President Trump’s fear boiled over on June 1 in an ugly attempt to put his knee on the neck of America.
Three years ago, he condemned Colin Kaepernick, American football star, for “taking a knee” against police brutality during the national anthem. Days after George Floyd’s murder by police with a knee to his neck, citizens waited for the president to offer words of understanding and unity.
When he did speak, there was no condolence for George Floyd, no empathy and compassion for his family, no acknowledgment of the rightful anger of people of color for prejudiced and uneven treatment by police.
Instead, he proposed to “dominate” American streets [read people]. He employed planned brutality against innocent protestors so that he could parade to St. John’s Church.
There he desecrated sacred space for personal political gain in a manner diametrically opposed to everything that Jesus calls followers to be.
The spiritual blessing of Jesus [and within each religion] is to lift people who are hurting, oppressed and despairing from their knees to their feet.
I ask each reader to invest in expressing the healing, uniting grace of her or his religious faith in remembrance of George Floyd.
Pastor Bob Long
Niskayuna
Support Liz Joy against Rep. Tonko
The showman is at it again, Paul Tonko is calling it the HEROES Act funds. He voted to give undocumented immigrants $600 a week. He can help them, but he doesn’t help 100% disabled veterans like me who fought in World War II to keep this country free. According to Paul Tonko, in his March 7, 2018 letter (“Use proper language on immigration”) to The Daily Gazette, these immigrants are good citizens; we are not, we only fought for this country so he could become a congressman.
Vote for Liz Joy who is running for Congress in the 20th District. Her husband is a veteran and her son is in the service. Be a good American. Vote for her. We need a good congresswoman.
Vincent Belardo
Albany
Grateful for Collins Park in Scotia
During this time of so much concern, stress and fear, I’d like to offer a diversion on a positive note. Recently as we walked through Collins Park, we noticed the progress on the restoration to the Scotia Library. The building is repaired and painted, and the roof and chimney work is in progress. It looks great.
If you have not visited the park recently, you may want to take a look and enjoy walking, biking, tennis, pickle ball or just relaxing outside on a beautiful day. We are fortunate to have this gem to enjoy all year right here in Scotia, free and open every day.
Lois Renko
Scotia
Praise for police, protest coverage
Kudos to Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford and the Gazette for June 1 images.
I see the Marc Schultz photo of the chief taking a knee, with his cops, in solidarity with protesters as an iconic image that should be a front runner for a Pulitzer prize.
According to the accompanying article by Jason Subik and Pete Demola, this action by the chief, quickly defused a tense confrontation.
It is a relief to see some hope after such a depressing weekend. As gut wrenching as the images of George Floyd’s death are, we should all appreciate how difficult this viciously polarized climate is for police, trying to do their jobs, keeping the peace.
Thomas P. Herrmann
Charlton
Residents need to join in democracy
The June 3 Gazette article (“Gunshot detection technology paused”) indicated greater democracy is essential.
The City Council’s inability to fund wi-fi installation in neighborhoods to ‘protect’ people from criminal gunners and gun dealers requires participatory democracy by county residents.
The county shared services process, especially participatory democracy, can combine County EMS agencies and multiple school district needs into county-wide installation of Wi-Fi technology in neighborhoods and communities.
County EMS wi-fi technology can ‘protect’ our democracy from criminal gunners and gun dealers, improve countywide emergency services, and expand equal access of remote educational services to students in neighborhoods and communities.
Shared wi-fi technology funding may be available through state and county EMS hazard mitigation planning sources and New York State Smart School Bond Act sources to establish a functional ‘Protect and Serve’ policy in our democracy.
Michael McGlynn
Watervliet
Categories: Letters to the Editor, Opinion
