Police’s fractured relationship with public Problems with Boudin
Regarding “S.F. police union boss calls out chief: ‘Step up’ ” (Bay Area, Jan. 29): Phil Matier’s article about San Francisco police union leader Tony Montoya highlights the problems people have with the police.
Yes, they have a difficult, dangerous job, and I understand their need to be supported by their city. However, I feel Montoya is behaving like a bully in the case of Jamaica Hampton, whose case District Attorney Chesa Boudin has rightly withdrawn.
Let’s look at the facts. Hampton is accused of attacking police officers. Hampton is one person and more than one police officer was at the scene. Who has the power?
Hampton attacked the police with an empty bottle. The police responded with guns. Who has the power? No police officers appear to have been injured in the incident. Hampton has spent the past two months in the hospital, and one of his legs has been amputated.
Who suffered in the incident? To my mind, Hampton has paid enough for his alleged crime. His life will never be the same. Can we say the same about those police officers?
I don’t think so. These are the kinds of incidents that sully the relationship between police and the communities they serve.
Kathy Bradley, San Francisco
In need of solutions
I see that SB50 was once again rejected by the California state Senate. I speak to all who oppose the bill. Have any of you got an alternative to that bill?
Here are some possible alternatives that don’t change existing communities: Enact legislation prohibiting companies from hiring any new employee unless she/he can prove one year’s prior residency where they live or sign a document asserting she/he did not replace a tenant who was evicted.
Provide for new subdivisions offshore, either floating or supported by landfill. With the Pacific Ocean in close proximity, this solution could last for centuries. Enact legislation making felonious any claim that there is a housing problem.
The people who do so are just trying to make a lot of money. Of course, speculation would be unnecessary if any groups or individuals submitted an alternate plan. Well, we’re still waiting. If counties and cities have the authority to deal with the problem, they’re just not using it.
Finally, the next time you ride or walk along Fifth Avenue in New York City, remember it was once a long string of impressive mansions.
Jim Gabbard, San Francisco
‘Teflon president’
More than likely, President Trump will survive the impeachment trial and continue in office. Will he continue to reign supreme as “Emperor Donald” or has this whole Washington soap opera helped him reconsider his ways, perhaps to consider that he’s actually not the “chosen one,” as he once called himself ?
Or, will Trump become known by Republican lawmakers and his “base” as the new “Teflon president,” a term originally applied to former President Ronald Reagan because nothing negative ever stuck to him? We will get the answer soon.
Piers Lahey, Daly City
Regarding “S.F. police union in an escalating battle with D.A.” (Page One, Jan. 28): Is it possible that District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s withdrawing Jamaica Hampton’s criminal charges is the seed which will grow into a recall election?
Cal Tilden, San Francisco
Benefits of opioids
I certainly recognize the tragic consequences of drug companies and kickbacks to an electronic health record company in promoting opioid marketing, but what constantly seems to be forgotten in all the recent reporting is the irreplaceable benefit of these opioid drugs for those suffering from extreme pain. As an older individual slowly recovering from a severe triple fracture and postsurgical pain, the poppyderived painkiller oxycodone has made life worth living.
Elli Cohen, San Francisco
No faith in the system
I have lost all faith and trust in our members of Congress that they will ever reconcile their differences or even uphold their oaths of office.
I lost all faith and trust in our judicial system that it can ever create a fair trial or even deliver an impartial verdict.
I’ve lost all faith and trust in the rule of law, in the government’s ability to hold itself accountable to it and that law and authority can somehow make us free. I’ve lost all hope in the next election and every election thereafter. That it will ever resolve the fundamental problems of government.
That it will even reflect the will of the electorate. Today, I’ve hit rock bottom. I’ve lost all hope that faith and trust can ever be built again and that justice is even possible in the end. (The verdict doesn’t matter. Acquittal or no acquittal, the lament would have been the same.)
Nick Piazza, Walnut Creek