Cartoon apology overlooked key parties
In response to the letter from Cecil Bray ("In defense of Stephen Drummond," Sept. 6), the Howard County chapter of the NAACP is pleased to learn that an expression of regret had been voiced by the former police officer regarding the slave cartoon.
Unfortunately, the apology was offered to the wrong person. Mr. Bray was not the recipient of the unprofessional behavior at the police department.
According to our complainants, Mr. Drummond has never expressed remorse or regret to the police officer involved in the case nor the Centurions for Justice, the African-American police organization which lodged the protest. Mr. Bray cannot serve as a surrogate apologist for Mr. Drummond.
The NAACP has a tradition of believing in the redemptive possibilities of all human beings. We are quick to grant forgiveness.
However, there can be no redemption without remorse. The e-mail to Mr. Bray should have been sent to the aggrieved parties at the police department.
The NAACP is right on target on this issue. Our primary concern is the welfare of students.
The police mentality of ascribing criminal behavior to all infractions involving African Americans is well-documented. This mentality has no place in the school environment.
It has been reported to the NAACP that the position of investigator was originally slated to be filled by an African-American school employee who had a background in law enforcement.
The salary compensation was drastically reduced, making the position unattractive to anyone other than a retiree with an independent income. The playing field continues to tilt when the players include African Americans.
Jenkins Odoms Jr.
Natalie W. Woodson
Columbia
The writers are, respectively, president and education committee chair of the Howard County chapter of the NAACP.
Leadership lower on fund-raising scale
As campaign finance reports are filed with the State Election Board and made public, voters should pay attention to who raises how much and from whom.
In spite of concern and even disgust over campaign financing and fund-raising on a national level, many candidates for local and statewide office operate on the assumption that amassing the largest war chest will demonstrate to an undiscerning public that this bandwagon is on a roll.
The race for Howard County executive is a case in point. Dennis R. Schrader leads the pack, far out-raising and outspending his primary Republican opponent and James N. Robey, the Democrat. Mr. Schrader, like many other candidates, has worn this achievement as a badge of pride and signal of his popularity.
That is, until it became clear where much of the money came from -- contractors he is in a position to look with favor on in his capacity as an official with the University of Maryland Medical System. While he insisted that nothing was wrong with this, he promised to pay most of it back to avoid a "wrong appearance."
Many candidates operate on the assumption that amassing the largest war chest will demonstrate that this bandwagon is on a roll.
Could it be that the better place to find public servants more likely to provide good judgment and even-handed, fair and responsible leadership is somewhere lower on the fund-raising scale?
Joyce Starnes
Columbia
'Developer' is not a dirty word
A number of candidates in Howard County have declared they will not accept donations from builders and developers. The media and segments of the public applaud this independent gesture as a way to control growth.
This is an insult to builders and developers. It is not a crime to develop land or build a home in Howard County. Growth is not a four-letter word.
Builders and developers such as Gary Clark, Chip Lundy, Dale Thompson, Richard Awalt and many others have not only built beautiful neighborhoods, but provided jobs for hundreds of Howard County residents. They have also contributed to charitable functions and donated parcels of land for church and recreational use.
Certainly, there are developers who have acted in questionable and unethical ways. In any profession, you will have good and bad.
A story in The Sun last summer had comments from a resident in Fulton who complained of growth. She had told of how she moved to Howard County and loved it so much that she had talked all of her relatives and friends into moving here from Prince George's County. Now, she wants the growth to stop. It is this contagious, twisted logic that the media endorse.
Howard County is one of the best places to live in the Baltimore-Washington area. People want to move here for the same reasons we did. To achieve true "managed growth," we must include those honest businessmen who have provided jobs and built our homes in the past.
Timothy McCoy
Ellicott City
The writer, a real estate agent, was a Republican candidate for the Howard County Council in District 1.
Show of force inside didn't deter crime outside pavilion
A group of friends joined my wife and me at Merriweather Post Pavilion Aug. 22 for the Jimmy Buffett concert.
We arrived at the venue at 3 in the afternoon and, needless to say, the parking lot tailgate parties that accompany every concert, at any locale. As members of my group strolled the lot to take in all the revelry, we saw absolutely nothing threatening in sight. No fights. No visible use of illegal substances. Only thousands of fans escaping the day-to-day drudgery with an afternoon of fun.
At 6: 30, we decided to head into the pavilion to select our location on the lawn. As we made our way through the lot, a large group of concertgoers waited to use a row of portable toilets set up on the edge of the lot.
About that time, we heard the shrill sound of whistles as two police officers on horseback pushed through that crowd followed by eight helmeted officers, billy clubs in hand, and four helmeted officers with German shepherds. They proceeded to the other end of the lot and back. No arrests were made. No trouble started.
It was apparently just a show of force. It was completely unwarranted. Someone could have been seriously hurt as the horses pushed into the crowd. I was also concerned that the action might incite a violent reaction from some in the crowd and quickly hustled my group to the gates.
After arriving at the gate, men entering the pavilion were subjected to a pat-down by "bouncers" stationed at each entry. I don't understand this policy either.
I paid more than $60 for two tickets and was not informed of the frisking. As a business professional, I felt it was quite demeaning. I also noticed that as the flow of people increased, the procedure was halted: a lawsuit waiting to happen.
As the concert came to an end, we returned to our parking area. It was the overflow lot, adjacent to the main lot. We found virtually every vehicle in the lot vandalized, with many articles stolen. The car in front of ours had the convertible top slashed and CD player stolen. The truck next to ours had the side mirrors smashed and CD player stolen. My van had a side mirror cracked and the antenna broken off. We had nothing stolen, so I suppose we were one of the lucky ones.
With that in mind, why the strong police presence among the ticket holders? Why the bulky "bouncers" at the gate? Why was no police patrol or event staff in the parking lot during the show looking for the real criminal element?
During the weekend, I noted cars in the lot from Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and other states. All had come to see Jimmy Buffett and have a good time.
Let's stop and think about how much money this event brings to the community. The hotels near Merriweather Post fill up with "Parrotheads." The restaurants are filled with fans.
The concertgoers have to gas up before heading home. Merriweather Post even boasted in this year's concert guide that Jimmy Buffett fans fill the theater in record numbers. The economic impact of such a weekend is tremendous.
Is the goal of the police force and the Merriweather Post administration to keep these people at home next year? Would they prefer that Mr. Buffett bypass Columbia? I think not. But many people went home with a very bad taste in their mouths. It was all very unnecessary and very preventable.
Michael Kaufman
Baltimore
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In his unique but typical fashion, Elton John displayed his talents and songs to his throngs of fans, including myself, at the Merriwether Post Pavilion in Columbia on Sept. 6.
It was a masterful performance marred only by the rudeness of a few people in the lawn area who stood up not just for the opening song, "Circle of Life," but during the entire concert, obstructing the view of others.
It was amazingly paradoxical that while Elton John was singing about a better world and humanity as well as a recovered soul, these people didn't get the message. Instead of being cognizant of their insensitivity and thoughtlessness, they ignored the meaningful and inspirational lyrics and feelings that lay behind Mr. John's songs.
While I realize one cannot expect common courtesy at a rock concert or hardly any situation anymore, there should be basic respect and concern for others.
Bill Owens
Glenelg