Drop charges against Pride protesters

I respond to the Columbus Police Division’s treatment of peaceful protesters at Saturday’s Pride parade (Dispatch article, Sunday). The Pride tradition began as a rebellion by queer people of color against the rampant police violence they faced. Pride is rooted in protest. That any peaceful protesters would be arrested at such an event is abhorrent, abominable, and completely uncalled for.

It’s clear that the city is much more interested in the “image” of diversity than actually protecting its marginalized populations.

I urge Columbus police to drop the charges against these individuals and examine its history of behavior against black Ohioans. The Pride festival is meaningless without safety and freedom for all.

Rosalyn DeMattia Columbus tortoises in California.

Tortoises that have been captive for a long time, found wandering in a city street, bred in captivity, or obtained through adoption, can be kept legally by applying for a permit from the state of California.

The article did not clarify whether Otis (the tortoise) was a wild desert tortoise, or whether Kathie Heisinger obtained a permit before taking Otis from California to northeastern Ohio.

The California desert tortoise has several natural- and human-caused threats to its survival in the wild. Humaninterest stories that portray the tortoise as a pet that can be moved thousands of miles from its natural habitat don’t aid in the species’ survival.

Richard Allen Bornstein Blacklick