THE PEOPLE SPEAK IN THIS WEEK’S ‘LETTERS TO THE EDITOR’
Response To Column By Scott Reeder In June 17th Edition
Dear Editor:
In the June 17th, 2020 edition of the Tribune there was a column written by an author whose article indicates that he has conducted investigations of more than 50 instances where suspects were wrongfully convicted. There is no doubt those types of instances occur and they must be absolutely awful for those convicted and their family members. But the author does not reflect on the hundreds of thousands of vicious crimes that are pled down to minor offenses or those instances where the defendant walks when they are clearly guilty.
What motivates him to make those omissions? It seems to me that there are people in our society that for whatever reason, want to divide our nation. They divide by race, by sex, by sexual orientation, by religious beliefs and of course those same people want you to think the police are bad people who brutalize and murder … and then the author would have you believe that those offenders seldom if ever are held to account for those actions. That simply … is not true.
From what I read, I take the author has little if any respect for law enforcement officers who risk their lives on a daily basis so that you and I can move freely and safely about our daily lives. I can tell you, that author never met the men and women who I worked closely with, men and women who would give their lives to make certain the citizens they encountered were treated appropriately. He was not there when a dark room was suddenly filled with bright-orange light and deafening blast, then in less of a second the officer had to decide to take a life or risk his own … he knows not of those instances and perhaps he does not even care.
I firmly believe those same traits and characteristics are found in most officers today and may God bless them and keep them safe. And one last thing … the author boast that he put a “Black Lives Matter” sign in his yard … perhaps he should consider putting a sign in his yard that indicates that “All Lives Matter.”
Robert A. Pittenger DPD Officer (ret)
& Federal Investigator with the DOJ (Ret)
‘Black Lives Matter’ Along With The Lives Of Every Other Color
Dear Editor:
There is so much going on in this world that I want to talk about. One letter every 30 days does not give me enough time. So I decided to just hit the highlights on several. I hope you can see where I am going. As I watched the protests and riots, I noticed one sign more than any other. “Black Lives Matter”. Of course they matter. They matter just as much as Brown Lives, Red Lives, Yellow Lives, and White lives!
Our taxes have increased to repair our roads. What is the City if Decatur doing? Using oil and chip to repair Decatur streets. What is wrong with these people? Every model the CDC and the WHO has used to predict what COVID19 will do has been wrong! First fix the models and then you can tell us what you think.
Our family can’t get together for a dinner because we need to stop COVID-19. People who are getting together, without masks and social distancing, in the name of protest appears to be OK! I wonder what is the difference? Racism exists. It should not, but it does.
Some Whites hate Blacks and some Blacks hate Whites. Some people just hate everybody! We (the rest of us) need to stand up together and say enough is enough and call out the haters. If we do, they will slink away because they are basically cowards! Have a good day and be safe!
Russ Stoss, Decatur
Enjoyed Scrapbook Article About Grove’s Restaurant
Dear Paul,
I enjoyed the May 6, 2020 article about Grove’s Restaurant. It brought back some interesting memories I would like to share. First, my family would go there on special occasions. Each time we ate there, I hoped we would be seated in the dining room which had the high windows on the south wall. That way, I could watch the tires roll by of the cars getting gas. For some reason, I was captivated with that view of the cars. Second, I had my first real paying job at Grove’s. During the summer before my senior year of high school, 1964, I worked at Groves as a bus boy. I started work on a Sunday. I soon learned, the hard way, that Sunday was their busiest day of the week.
I was given a tour of the kitchen, showed where to bring the dirty dishes, how to clean and set up the table or booth, introduced to the waitresses and other staff, all at 8:00 on a Sunday morning! Then between 10:30 and 11:00 the after-church crowds began to arrive. Soon there was a line waiting to get in. As I recall, we had only two bus boys and about 10 waitresses taking care of all these customers.
Being the new guy, I was a little nervous trying to remember what I needed to do and staying on my toes. About 2:30, the rush was over and there was a lull. I was able to take a break, so my Dad picked me up and brought me home for some rest. I was back about 4:00 for the evening crowd. About 8:00, a waitress told me there were a couple of dirty booths “over there”.
As I approached I saw two booths with dirty plates. One booth had a couple sitting there. So, I thought I need to clean that booth first. The folks sat quietly as I stacked the plates, took away the glasses, wiped down the table, cleaned the ash tray, and placed the tip in the ash tray. Then I proceeded to clean the next booth which was empty.
About 15 minutes later the same waitress saw me again. She asked me if I remember cleaning the booth with the couple sitting in it? I said yes. She then told me that those folks were not done eating! From that day forward, I would always ask if they were finished, when I encountered someone seated at a dirty table!
That first day on the job was long, tiring, and educational all rolled into one! Keep up the good work and keep the Blasts from the Past coming!
George H. Wentworth, Jr.
First Experience With Racism Was At A Movie Theater In Texas
Dear Editor:
When I was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas in 1954 the movie “Carman” was playing at the local theater. As I purchased my ticket, I saw a sign that said “Negroes showing Saturday at 11:00”. The movie’s cast included Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey, Diahann Carrol and an all black cast.
When I questioned the cashier about the limited time black people could attend their own movie, she stated “Boy, you aren’t from around here are you?”. This was my first introduction to racism. I graduated from Decatur High School in 1951. I ran track with many blacks that were my teammates. We traveled and ate together. I never thought we would see what is now going on in this country.
Phillip Roberts, Decatur.
Columns and “Letters To The Editor” are the opinions of the writers and not necessarily the opinion of the Decatur Tribune editor and publisher, staff, or advertisers. One one letter to the editor from the same person will be printed within a 30-day period. No anonymous letters will be printed.
