Stop fare evaders to make BART safer

Concerning “No more delay” (Editorial, July 25): In the editorial and all of the articles on crime prevention on BART, no one talks about higher fences and evader-proof gates in the stations. Take a look at the Underground in London and the Metro in Paris, and you can see how they stop fare evaders. I don’t believe the criminals are paying fares to enter BART. Stopping the fare evaders from entering the station is a big step in keeping riders safe.

Almost every trip I take on BART, I encounter a scary experience with a mentally unbalanced person. Several of them have made menacing gestures and kicks at my husband and myself. All of them are scary because they are agitated, talking loud and are extremely mad about something. Who knows which of these people will seriously hurt someone? I no longer feel safe riding BART.

Lark Hilliard, Orinda

Increase BART police

BART should have police at every station at all times when they are open. They have a lot more police than they have stations. You call them and they are 15 minutes out. Why are they not there? Ten-hour shifts, four-day weeks, and on the overlap day, the extra officer rides the trains. They don’t need cars, they can report directly to the station as do other employees. It can save a lot of money doing this.

Ronald Smith, Fairfield

Not a partisan issue

With regard to the recent view of the Trump supporters, it’s always astounding to me they continue to cry partisanship when discussing basic civil courtesies and expectations such as honesty, integrity and selflessness. These socalled “liberals” that President Trump supporters like to defame are simply concerned citizens (Democrats, Republicans and independents alike) who see their liberties and beloved country being trashed by the man who remains in office despite boatloads of evidence exposing him to be the self-serving, incompetent that he is. Interesting that whenever such proven adjectives are used, the subject is always diverted to “Hillary’s emails.” Perhaps because there is no explanation for Trump’s behavior so it’s deflect, deflect, deflect. That’s the name of the game in which this administration continues to play without consequence.

Carol Allen, San Francisco

Wait and see

Regarding “Hysteria over Trump” (Letters, July 25): The author did a nice job elevating sarcasm and expressing her view of the goodness of the current administration. She was very disparaging of the previous administration. Not considered — former President Barack Obama inherited an economy in a deep recession.

His actions helped to save the auto industry and to pull the country out of the recession. President Trump inherited the economic momentum from the Obama administration. True — deep tax cuts are aiding the economy right now — but let’s see where these cuts and tariff wars take us longer term. Perhaps the country will need the next administration to once again put our economy on a healthy track.

Barry Shiller, San Francisco

Stifled industry

Regarding “Supes want more techies to go out to lunch” (Business, July 25): I’m thankful to hear San Francisco Board of Supervisors Ahsha Safaí and Aaron Peskin’s plan to ban employee cafeterias, but it’s not enough. Why hasn’t our city banned cooktops and ovens yet? At-home dining is the real culprit here. It’s stifling our dining and restaurant industry.

Opal Kielty, San Francisco

Avoid abrasive talk

In “The real allies of the American people” ( John Diaz, Last Word, July 21), The Chronicle opined that the press did the American people a favor by asking President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin revealing questions in Helsinki. It doesn’t seem to me that press questions with a high probability of causing ill will between nuclear rivals, with little hope of discovering any new information, is in the interests of the American people.

History has clearly shown that diplomacy is the only effective means by which such rivals can deal with one another. Effective diplomatic talk requires that the other side knows that one’s opponent is prepared to back their words with action. However, Trump has shown that military resolve against Russia in places like Syria and Ukraine. The diplomatic stage is neither the time nor the place for needlessly abrasive talk.

Daniel Mauthe, Livermore

Lorin Eleni Gill / Associated Press People hold hands during a vigil for Nia Wilson outside the MacArthur BART Station in Oakland, where Wilson was fatally stabbed and her sister was hurt.