Excellent column on the the mistreatment of black women
The column about black women and girls being mistreated by police and schools is excellent. (“Officer in video went too far,” Life with Gracie, Oct. 28). Thank you, Gracie Bonds Staples, for calling out the names of Marlene Pinnock and Kelli Wilson. Sandra Bland comes to mind. Much needs to be said about school “resource officers,” and the school-to-prison pipeline. Thank you for highlighting both Gwinnett County and Atlanta public schools. I started reading your columns recently, beginning with the one on transgender, which I didn’t care for. Still, I admired your courage, and I’ve become an occasional reader. Oh, and it occurs to me, for your husband - it is just as likely that if this policeman has children, he hits them, too. Just a thought.
BRENT C. FORKNER, CARTERSVILLE
Teach children to respect authority
Regarding, (“Officer in video went too far,” Life with Gracie, Oct. 28) - How disappointing. This girl refused the request of her teacher to put away her phone and pay attention. Then she refused the request of a counselor to come with her to the office. Then she refused the officer’s request to leave and when he tried to remove her, she struck at him. Perhaps he did go too far. I don’t know. But what did she win out of her refusal to respect authority? A fractured arm, facial cuts and an arrest for disturbing school. My point is, we must teach our children to respect authority. When an adult asks them to do something, the answer should be, “Yes sir or ma’am,” not fleeing, fighting or resisting. Teach them to argue their case later when heads have cooled. Black lives matter. Respect for authority can save them. As parents, it is our fault if our children do not respect authority and bad things happen. By the way, a hundred fellow students demonstrated peacefully later in favor of the officer.
DAN MILLER, ALPHARETTA
Stop denigrating Obamacare
Perhaps we should do a Truth-O-Meter on Kyle Wingfield’s column, (“Obama’s plan, your wallet, Nov. 1). Wingfield’s entire column is meant to inflame readers about the fact that insurance premiums are going up 6.1 percent for 2016. On the same day, responding to Donald Trump’s claims of rising premiums, the Truth-O-Meter states that while premiums have risen an average of 5.8 percent since President Barack Obama took office, they rose 13.2 percent in the nine years before Obama. How is it that so many cannot remember things that happened before Obama was elected? Or more importantly, why do they continue to denigrate Obamacare when they have absolutely no plan to replace it?
DON LEE, LAWRENCEVILLE
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