December 10, 2014

Dear Editor:

As a response to last week’s Buzz column: When an armed black man kills an unarmed black man, the armed black man goes to jail. When some armed officers do the same, even when video taped, excuses are regenerated for their behavior. This is why we aren’t talking about black on black crime or white on white crime, for that matter.

Everyday, our judicial system profiles persons of color, which contributes to the inappropriate mass incarceration of persons of color and the killing of unarmed black men (see The New Jim Crow). Everyday this happens, trust is lost toward those who are supposed to serve and protect, many of whom are trustworthy. Since most people in our nation love people of all races, we will no longer stand for this discrimination that our judicial system tolerates. All Americans deserve better.

As for your comments about some of our black religious and community leaders, what they are doing is surely more beneficial than the harmful stereotypes (thug, crack dealers) you are perpetuating through your Buzz column, which actually contribute to the problems of profiling and discrimination in our communities. Your paper goes to a diverse group of people, and we want them to know that not everyone in this community agrees with your strong opinions or language. What we really want to know, though, are the views of the businesses, politicians, schools, library, and social service agencies that either advertise in your paper or have their events published. What do they think of your language and views that reach people they serve? Our bi-racial family found them offensive and inappropriate. While we understand there are different views regarding Brown’s death, as a seasoned journalist, surely you can express your opinions without using hateful, inappropriate “operative” words.

Surely, you can provide credible reasons, some objective data perhaps, to explain and support your negative views of community leaders instead of just bashing them with sensationalized language. Our diverse community deserves better.

Submitted by,

Gary Malek and Amy Hansen-Male

Nine Year Indian Mound Residents