The tyranny of renaming streets in the city of Phoenix

I was astonished to receive a letter on Friday from my beloved city of Phoenix stating that it is the intention of the City Council this Tuesday to eliminate the requirement of residential consent prior to renaming of streets.

If I have it right, the council is specifically seeking to abrogate the will of the people, the legal residents of this street who currently have a legal say in the street name, in favor of the “feelings” of some other group of people with no legal ties to the area.

The mayor and City Council have long been in possession of the petition of the residents of this street, submitted and entered into the record on Feb. 17, wherein over 75 percent of residents support keeping the name unchanged.

The government, having failed to force its will on its citizens by way of the established rule of law, seeks to crush the will of its citizens instead by unilaterally changing the law. This is tyranny.

We are not an uninformed nor hateful citizenry. The “offensiveness” of the term (“squaw”) in question is widely disputed even among Native Americans! The agenda is being driven by people who are more concerned with being politically correct than being actually correct.

I ask that this motion be blocked and the policy remain in place. I further ask that the issue of renaming our street be permanently put to rest with the name remaining as is.

— Phoenix Editor’s note: The letter writer

lives on Squaw Peak Drive.

The author of a recent letter that was critical of The Arizona Republic for covering an anti-discrimination protest over a large Christian event seems to misunderstand what makes something newsworthy.

While the Christian gathering the author described may have been well-attended and a moving experience for the participants, large events such as that are not newsworthy in a state that is more than three-quarters Christian.

Covering the LGBT anti-discrimination protest, on the other hand, helps inform readers of the current social and cultural climate of our state.

Contrary to what the author also stated about the so-called “silent-majority” that she claims makes up most of The Republic’s readership, it is not the job of journalists to censor news stories to only include those that pander to their readers’ views. Rather, it is the job of journalists to keep us informed about and engaged in our society. — Mesa The big remaining question is ... When and if Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his merry band of liberal lawyers manufactures some charges against Trump ... they will be aptly called “trumped-up charges.”

— Goodyear

Police shooting black people is no longer news. It is a common occurrence.

The police are always found not guilty, but cities still pay millions in rewards to families. This murder by cops has got to stop. Here is one city’s answer: First, do a better screening prospective officers before hiring them. Then every six months require officers who carry guns to take a physical, mental and emotional exam.

They have not had an officer involved shooting death in 12 years.

— Maricopa

In a recent letter to the editor someone said they thought the D-Backs should get more coverage. Why? They are a multi-million dollar organization that gets plenty of coverage in sport news. Remember these are the same millionaires suing the taxpayers to maintain their stadium.

— Apache Junction