Letters: Camping in Howard Amon, what color means, offended by poor and more | June 20

Allowing camping at Howard Amon

When did the Richland start allowing camping in Howard Amon Park? A homeless man (or men) is living by the tennis courts. He has been there day and night for at least three weeks. His camp is an eyesore, unsanitary and located at the children’s park.

When I asked this question of the City Council and interim city manager, the manager stated that it was a legal issue and the city can’t do anything about it. I found his answer to be weak and dismissive.

Essentially the city won’t take any risk to address this issue. Zero. Zilch. What? This homeless person has more rights and privileges than tax-paying citizens? The city is afraid of a lawsuit from a homeless person, so it is choosing to stand down in fear rather than take action on behalf of its tax paying citizens? Weakness begets weakness. What kind of economic impact will occur if things continue to escalate like they have in Seattle?

What about syringe pricks and other risks of children running around barefoot in the grass? What about the lawsuit risk(s) Richland faces for allowing this to continue by taking no action? What about that risk?

.......

Is it time to deport the unvaccinated?

Called a window washing service (and) when they arrived, I asked if they were vaccinated. One of the pair was not; I informed them they were not welcome in our home. Isn’t it time to deport the unvaccinated?

.......

Give vaccines to 3rd World nations

Dear countries of the world:

If Third-World countries do not promptly receive covid vaccines for 70 percent of population, variations will evolve. They may adapt to our efforts and render the world’s vaccines useless.

Please cooperate fully, make every effort to get all souls on Earth vaccinated promptly.

Our lives may depend on your actions now.

Live, Laugh, Love.

.......

Putin’s attack plan

You have to give Putin credit. Hoping to prove that democracy is no longer a viable form of government, he correctly judged that the useful idiot Donald Trump would poison American democracy. Putin is an astute analyst of his opponents’ weaknesses with no qualms about jailing and murdering them.

A student of human behavior, Putin further correctly judged that he could use the internet to mount a divisive disinformation campaign that would thrive in the hands of Trumpists trafficking innumerable conspiracy fantasies. Putin estimated that a significant number of gullible Americans would embrace every deceit that Trump promulgates and that they would slavishly accept his demand for complete, unquestioning loyalty.

We are witnesses to the success of Putin’s attack plan. If all Americans of good will who wish to preserve for our posterity our experiment in democracy do not vote to counter Trumpist fascism, we will have ourselves to blame, and we will be the generation that was not able to keep it.

.......

Tri-Cities needs litter task force 

I was encouraged by Diana Guzman and Mia Miranda. Their letters about littering confirmed other Tri-City residents share my concerns. Cigarette waste and other litter are ubiquitous in our area. A Tri-City campaign aimed at litter prevention is needed. Such efforts have been successfully undertaken by other communities throughout the nation.

It is time the Tri-Cities mirrors those communities through partnership development. It is my hope city leaders will assemble a committee of stakeholders to develop a strategy for litter prevention. Please share your concerns and ideas with local officials. Cigarette waste and other litter are detrimental to public health, the environment and quality of life in the Tri-Cities.

.......

Understanding what color means

“Whites Only” signs controlled my behavior during my lifetime. They publicized that “all” non-white people were legally denied access to public and private services offered. Ironically, these days many “lighter complected but non-white” members of various ethnic groups self-identify as racially “White,” although their parents also experienced “Jim Crow” humiliating discrimination. Why?

For example, the City of Pasco is progressive and is the most ethnically diverse of the Tri-Cities. Nonetheless, all but one of its many Latino/Hispanic employees identified themselves as racially “White.” That one employee self-identified as other.

What does the “White Hispanic” identity imply as it relates to racial diversity and employees’/police’s ability to relate to, empathize with or to serve Pasco residents with a darker skin complexion without skin-color bias, i.e., Afro-Hispanics and African Americans?

The original civil rights laws protected citizens from discrimination based on race, creed/religion and “color.” Non-English speakers as a group are not a legally protected category nor are anyone’s’ ethnicity and culture. Thus, none should be treated with preference.

So, where are the “colored” employees in local governments, in public schools and on police forces who look black, self-identify as black and are proud to be black? Understandably, Black Lives Matter.

.......

Stop littering, take pride in our state

I am pleased to see the litter problem being addressed in this paper. Having recently moved here from the great state of Montana, I see trash around everyday. It is illegal to litter in Montana; what about Washington? Please talk to your students, these are the offenders I see. Please, people, have some pride in your state.

.......

Wondering about alien COWVID

I wonder if you realize that cattle are crossing the U.S.-Canada border daily, even though it is possible that they carry the COWVID virus? Careful observation of many of the trucks revealed that none of the cattle wore masks. It was also determined that the cattle were not standing six feet apart. This activity should not be taken lightly because those governing in Olympia will certainly move Eastern Washington back to lockdown until the offenders are corralled. Please make certain that none of your animals come in contact with these alien bovines.

.......

Why be offended by the poor?

The huge uproar over the likelihood of low-income housing being developed near Clover Island is telling. It’s not difficult to identify business owners, developers and port commissioners who are adamantly opposed to and offended by poor, modest, underprivileged and less fortunate Tri-Citians.

One can read the Tri-City Herald front page article of June 14 to find out who they are. I wonder what makes these prosperous and affluent trailblazers think they are better and more important than those with less. Why shouldn’t poorer families be included in the development plan of the city’s waterfront? What are these holier-than-thou men and women afraid of? Are they concerned about the age, income or ethnicity of those who will live near their precious Wine and Artisan Village, expensive dining palaces and elaborate recreation areas that should only be available to a certain population with overflowing cash in their pockets?

Sounds to me that those opposed to the idea of the less prosperous living near their ivory towers should take a step back and realize how intolerant, discriminatory and unjust they sound. Shame on them for looking down on those with less.

This story was originally published June 20, 2021 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Camping in Howard Amon, what color means, offended by poor and more | June 20."