New views on police, schools
Traffic stops
Regarding “Do not wait,” (A17, July 13): I am a white male who has been pulled over and ticketed for not using a turn signal, and also once in college for not having the signal on “long enough before exiting” and having long hair, got a car search. But I still disagree with some of the comments of the Chronicle editors and the author of a letter on Wednesday suggesting the police not enforce certain violations, just mail violations tickets or even refrain from chasing a criminal.
The police are tasked with enforcing laws like having a front license plate that the Legislature passed. They do not have the option of deciding what laws they are to enforce and which laws they are not going to enforce; that is the lawmakers’ task. The uproar over enforcement needs to land back on those who wrote the laws, and pressure them then to repeal them
To send a ticket through the mail, you get into a difficulty of proving who was actually the driver that did the infraction.
If we decide not to pursue a criminal after a crime, how do we ever catch them or expect them to turn themselves in? How do you really think that will work? Or will it put that next officer in danger just making a “routine traffic stop” on a wanted criminal? Skip Fix, Katy
Back to school
Regarding “HISD to stay online-only for first 6 weeks,” (A1, July 16): This retired Texas teacher has some questions for parents of school-age children. Would you go to a politician or a pediatrician to seek guidance about your child’s health? Do your children ride a school bus? Does your child have underlying conditions, such as diabetes or asthma? Is your child mature enough to obediently abide by all the virus safeguards every school day? Is your child covered by health insurance? Have you seriously considered that your child could die from COVID-19, or recover from it but be left with neurological, kidney, heart or lung damage? Any order to open schools during a viral surge (and the regular flu season due in two to three months) whether from the TEA, a governor or a president who bullies with threats, must be challenged. Our children are our future. Don’t let anyone rush or mislead you into harming them or that future that we’re all going to share. Bonnie Hardaway, Tyler
Regarding “Hazards of reopening Houston-area schools,” (A21, July 15): At long last someone brings to our attention the opinions of the most qualified educators of all — the teachers. It seems to me that most of the previous discussions on this important topic have regarded the schools as babysitting services — services for parents to outsource their parent-jobs or services to enable parents to go back to work. Finally, the authors have brought the best interests of the teachers and the students into the equation and this should be the guiding light for the people who determine when and whether schools should reopen with the classroom experience for the children. We know that the classroom experience for the children is a necessary experience, but it is not as necessary as keeping the children healthy and keeping the educators teaching and they and their families healthy. In Texas, possibly Gov. Greg Abbott and his appointed staff need to bring this into their equation as the first and foremost consideration. Donna Scott, Houston