December 31, 2014

Dear Editor

I was startled and disheartened to see such a piece in the newspaper as I did in the Dec. 3, 2014, issue, volume 83, number 39. The “Buzz, Bunny the Newshound” section was disturbing and uninformative.

While I understand it is an editorial section and therefore prone to opinion, that specific week’s rant seemed especially prejudiced.

Here are a few specific issues I saw:

• If there was such an ardent voice given in opposition of the movement, why was there not also a story about the actual movement itself, including information and facts about city-wide peaceful protests and gatherings. There have been hundreds of people in this area involved in several events addressing the issues, not to mention the thousands across the world, but the only situation referred to in this paper was a brief mention of “looters and rioters.” Seeing as that has been a minority of the actions, it seems odd for a newspaper to mention (not even report) only on that.

• It is well documented and reported that there has been wide-spread discrepancy about the validity of these grand jury decisions. Legal advisors and experts from around the country are publicly vocalizing their concerns, and federal investigations are underway. Again, for a newspaper to only have one opinion of events seems odd and discrediting.

• While I also understand this is a short section and cannot possibly hold all the information about the subject at hand, the author refers to both black-on-black crime awareness and black leadership lacking in our city. Every event I have attended around this issue in the past month has addressed these concerns and offered several organizations working across the spectrum on education, mentorship, jobs training, counseling, etc. Just because the author is unaware of these projects, does not mean they are not happening in the city (with many people dedicating their lives to this work) and does not mean that one person in a leadership/authority/media position has the right to discredit so much.

• How uneducated and unaware it is to attempt to discredit the injustice narrative by referring to it with pejorative quotation marks. Has the author researched and read statistics on the issues of black lives within the criminal system? Or the disproportionate representation of communities of color as “normal” in comparison with white majority? As I understand, he lives in an area where the effects of systemic racism and prejudice are evident and are perpetrated against his neighbors. (If he is unconvinced of this in his own circles, I would like to invite him to my neck of the woods where I can point out specific instances, including and especially the children I am friends with who are treated with suspicion and aggression though they have done nothing.) Again, it was surprising to read such cold disregard for the humanity of this struggle.

While there are many opinions around this issue, the one here, at least as it is represented, is misinformed and misdirected, and as such, should not be placed in a position of newsworthiness. In the least, it should not be the only voice heard as our country-members are crying out that someone listen. I, in fact, am a concerned reader crying out that someone listen.

Thank you for your time and I hope better of my newspaper in the future,

Lydia Nebel

Scaritt-Reneissance Resident