В Санта-Фе пройдет акция «Sing for Justice» в память о движении за избирательные права

Americans died at Selma, Ala., seeking the right to vote. Many of us are old enough to remember Bloody Sunday, only 61 years ago. Until then, with the passage of Voting Rights Act, Black people across the South were disenfranchised, unable to cast a ballot. Now, with the Voting Rights Act demolished, their congressional representation is being gerrymandered out of existence. Come “Sing for Justice” with Indivisible Santa Fe on the west side of the Roundhouse at 10 a.m. July 18 to lift your voice to the same tunes that were sung by John Lewis and the freedom marchers in Alabama back in 1965. Regardless of what the Supreme Court says, we are marching forward, not back. Melinda Hall Santa Fe Wrong approach I read the headline story about homelessness (“ ‘Trying to make it illegal to be homeless,’ ” June 28). My takeaway is utter incompetence in the City Council and Santa Fe Police Department. The City Council continues to pour money into their poor choice of the operators of Agape House and Urban Alchemy. I believe councilors continue to back Urban Alchemy because a change might suggest a poor decision to begin with. And another bad decision postponed Interfaith Community Services from moving on plans to provide 125 beds. And the city has “pallet” units in storage — doing what? The police chief says they tell campers the city offers “services” — but we don’t have enough because of the council’s bad decisions. Arrest and rearrest solves nothing. It is a game of “make the numbers.” Interim Police Chief Ben Valdez says individuals can “get connected to available shelters,” but when asked where they are, he suggested “reaching out to shelters in Albuquerque.” Maybe Valdez can drive them there? Ken Earle Santa Fe Learn from success Solving the homelessness problem in Santa Fe is not easy, but we can learn from successes elsewhere in the Southwest. Denver has reduced the homeless population by 45% over two years with a combined effort involving interim housing, mental health and substance abuse services and support for a road to self-sufficiency. Give people a safe place to live and they generally won’t want to give that up. This will cost money, but hey, the state has a windfall from the rising cost of oil and gas. I can’t think of a better way to put that money to use than focusing on something that everybody wants fixed. Mayor Michael Garcia, City Council and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, let’s get this done! Larry Crosby Santa Fe Problem dogs Santa Fe harbors an excess of problem dogs. Roaming and off-leash dogs constitute a threat if not an actual menace. Dogs that howl or bark incessantly are an insufficiently attended nuisance to neighbors. Some owners or keepers are apparently problems, too. Fewer problem dogs would substantially improve Santa Fe life quality. Aggression and bite reports appear too often. Unprovoked biters should be removed if not destroyed. Ownership is an obligation rather than an entitlement. Negligent owners should be fined and cited. Dog removal should follow repeated offense. Many other types of pets are less needy and less time consuming than domesticated dogs, who need appropriate human interaction, training and exercise. Some problem dog keepers might do best with a cuddly stuffed animal for their endorphins. S.K. Ammerman Santa Fe Tarnished legacy Chief Justice John Roberts is a principal architect of today’s oligarchy-controlled U.S. government. Roberts and the other Republican-appointed members of the Supreme Court are the direct result of the 1976 Powell memo and the corruption initiated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Last week’s inconsistent decisions regarding presidential power over appointments to the Federal Reserve and other governmental boards are a clear indication of bias or incompetence. All Republican appointees should be impeached, convicted and removed, and their removal should be a major part of any campaign to restore governmental power to the people. Roberts, who was appointed by then-President George W. Bush, continues to tarnish Bush’s legacy. Joe D’Anna Santa Fe Background check As a new continuing education teacher at Santa Fe Community College, I have been required to undergo a background check that President Donald Trump could not have passed. Links below are provided by a third-party ad network (RevContent). This publication does not endorse or guarantee the products, services, or claims featured.