Media fanning flames of racial hatred
The need to heed others’ voices is critical to our civil survival as Andre Jackson’s editorial points out (“The need to heed others’ voices,” Editorial, July 24). He presents other views on this never-ending spiral of misunderstanding between our police officers and those who resent being policed. Police officers’ attempts to keep the peace are overshadowed by claims of unprofessional treatment by those officers; claims that unfair treatment is based on usurping civil rights, when in fact, civil rights don’t produce the heat in these claims. The heat is produced by widespread media coverage of supposed police brutality of hapless individuals who appear prone and encouraged to take part in misadventures. As mentioned by one of Jackson’s presenters, the fault lies with the lack of support by those who could make a difference while another says the fault lies with our dysfunctional and oppressive policing systems. I side with the idea that irrational behavior by a few troublemakers are at the core of our national malaise.
JACK FRANKLIN, CONYERS
We may be witnessing GOP’s death
I found Kyle Wingfield’s column (“When I rethought skepticism of Trump,” Opinion, July 24) reassuring in the sense that he seems capable of basing his opinions on fact, reality, substance — critical thinking, rather than something else. After watching/listening to the Republican nominee’s acceptance speech, I had the overwhelming sense that the Republican Party was dead. This was it. I began my voting life in that party, but became an independent after beginning to realize in the late 1960s that something was going awry. I believe we need a strong two-party system so I find this death very sad indeed.
ALIDA C. SILVERMAN, ATLANTA
