MAILBAG - Nov. 16, 2006

Thanks for voting, getting involved

As a volunteer for the city of Huntington Beach, I would like to thank all the people who got out and voted Tuesday and also for being involved in your local government.

Measure T was a very important issue involving the future of Huntington Beach in the way we respect and care for our senior citizens. I believe the right choice has been made to start the building process of a long overdue new senior center for Huntington Beach. This golden opportunity of having the five acres and money set aside is the first big step in continuing the beautiful growth of our city.

CAROL SETTIMO

Huntington Beach

Center won’t just be for the seniors

The senior center at Central Park is going to be an entertainment center, not for the seniors. There will be weddings and such there, and where do you think the drunk partyers will want to go? They will need to go for a walk in the park to sober up, and they will throw their beer bottles there.

Why can’t they just redo the center they already have? I pray to God that the new and good members reject any and all plans to build the center at Central Park.

MARY JANE DYMUS

Huntington Beach

Learn from sports complex mistakes

I supported Measure T, and I’m glad it passed. However, I am very concerned that things be handled better than they were with the sports complex.

The loss of so much taxpayer money was disgraceful, and I hope those who are planning this new complex keep a closer eye on the finances to make sure we all get our money’s worth.

I think there should be a wide range of input from those in the community about what this new center should contain and how best to address the needs of the seniors in Huntington Beach

BONNIE KAMPMEYER

Huntington Beach

Question is not fair to the police officers

The Independent asks: Should the two Huntington Beach Police officers involved in the shooting of an 18-year-old girl face charges?

How can the paper ask this question in good conscience when your publication fails to detail any facts of the incident? This is a perfect example of why police officers do not trust media, when your publication prompts the public to judge split-second, life-altering decisions with minimal information. Let’s leave this question in the hands of the prosecutor’s office.

MARK NEWMAN

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Need update in MacDonald case

Whether the officers who shot Ashley MacDonald should be charged is a difficult question to answer.

Police have a difficult job and are probably the most scrutinized of all city and county employees, but for good reason: Their authority in the real world is among the highest.

On the evening news recently, there was a story about an incident in Germany that was similar to what happened here. A man at a concert had a sword — yes, a sword — which he refused to put down. Several German officers attempted to subdue him as he lunged toward them many times with the sword. Finally, one of the officers used a broom stick to fight back. The officer was successful enough that other officers were able to take the sword away and have control. No shots were fired.

At first I chuckled after what I saw, but then I thought about how Ashley’s life ended at the hands of our officers.

I could not tell in the short clip if any of the German officers carried firearms, but it made me think: What would the two Huntington Beach officers have done if they did not have a firearm? This is the way officers should think.

The sad part is the two officers involved are in their 20s, without the seasoned experience of mature officers This may an important factor to this tragic ending, evident by the number of shots that were fired: 15.

Look again at this incident and remove the fact that the shooters were officers. What if Ashley was shot by two civilians who claimed she “lunged” at them with a knife after asking her to put the knife down? Should they be charged with involuntary manslaughter or was it self defense?

There are two issues: Was the number of shots fired excessive for the situation that it warrants a criminal charge, and what will Chief Kenneth Small do with the officers and department to better handle situations like this? Small wrote a letter to community on how he felt about the incident; however, a follow-up letter outlining a corrective action would be nice.

CHUB DOMOTOR

Huntington Beach