Need good cops to stay the course
For all the police officers who grieve along with us for the horrendous arrest and killing of Tyre Nichols, please know that we know this case represents a minority of police officers. I have met and interacted with many fine police officers.
These are going to be tough times to maintain morale. We need good officers. We want good officers. Most police chose the career to help and protect us. Hang in there and help be the change our society needs to prevent more needless tragedies.
RODGER BURGESS, ATLANTA
Brutal police killing grieves nation once again
We don’t have words to express the pain of the heinous acts of police leading to the death of a young African American, Tyre Nichols. Police bodycams caught the footage of five Black officers punching and kicking him ruthlessly. He died three days later in the hospital.
Being born in this civilized society, we have heard countless stories of racial discrimination and segregation. The brutal killing of George Floyd in 2020 and now Tyre Nichols again puts us in pain, shock, and grief. It seems that our nation is still segregated based on physical differences.
Half a century ago, we passed the laws and accepted the rights of people of color as being the same as that of others. Unfortunately, it was merely on paper. We made tall claims of racial equality and fair treatment, but practically we did nothing.
ATTIYA GHANI, LAWRENCEVILLE
Polls aren’t always reflective of voters’ actual choices
Polls published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggest that Georgians, for the most part, are clearheaded, reasonable and politically moderate.
The majority of Georgians respect a woman’s right to choose in the case of pregnancy, support some level of gun control, and now we see are not happy with our frenetic election runoff system. So why do we keep electing far-right, reactionary legislators who are not interested in what we think?
JONATHAN GLASS, ATLANTA
Proud to have a true Southern governor
If you grew up in the South, you know “redneck” has nothing to do with race. The term refers to a class of undereducated whites who had menial jobs which required working outside many times, thus getting the back of the neck sunburned. My family fits right into that description. Mother had a 7th-grade education, and my Dad couldn’t read or write. He worked at jobs that required him to be outside, and his neck was always red.
We Southerners don’t mind poking fun at ourselves.
It was an honor for our governor to be invited to the recent economic summit. He was just being self-deprecating and humble when he used the term redneck to describe himself. I don’t agree with all his policies, but Georgia’s economy is really doing well. I don’t think his opponent in the last election will ever get an invitation to Davos. We are fortunate to have a redneck governing the state.
PAUL MCWILLIAMS, PEACHTREE CITY
Healthcare access already poor in Georgia
I would like to share with those voters who think Gov. Brian Kemp is doing such a great job that due to Kemp’s decision not to expand Medicaid, Georgia ranks 50th on healthcare for citizens over 65, according to the Institute of Gerontology, University of Georgia Public Health. Georgia ranks 51st in Access to Care. In Georgia in 2018, nine out of the 159 counties had no physicians, 76 counties had no obstetrician/gynecologist and 60 counties had no pediatrician. Georgia has the highest number of infant and mother deaths and has closed numerous rural and urban hospitals.
KAREN DAVENPORT, DECATUR
