Mailbag

Emergency Response

To the Editor,

I have mulled over the issue of whether to respond to allegations made in Chris Limberis' "Ballentine's Day" (June 15). I have consulted with a number of people about the value of a response and their reaction has been, at best, mixed. Many have reacted with indifference; after all, who reads the Tucson Weekly and what credibility does this newspaper have? Others have encouraged me to respond. The latter group has been split in terms of their purpose. While many have been irate and want "heads to roll," others have indicated that it is a matter of fairness and that The Weekly ought to provide equal time for a retort.

So here I am, torn between motives. I must say that I was initially annoyed by the article. It is very biased toward one side of the issues and it is definitely not balanced reporting. In the past I have been a lukewarm Weekly reader. I have read the articles with curiosity, albeit not much interest. The Skinny, on the other hand, has been entertaining, if not informative. Since I was a youngster living in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, selling newspapers on the streets, I became an avid reader of this type of satirical criticism. I always thought that these diatribes had a legitimate place in our society, until one was directed at me!

Should I remain lackadaisical? Must I set the record straight? What is to be gained? I have retired from TUSD after a 28-year career. This kind of criticism should no longer matter. But after much thought, my decision is to provide an alternative to your point of view.

In terms of the emergency plan for Roskruge, this was the series of events. The incident with the Marine on leave happened on a Sunday morning. By the following Tuesday, I called for an informational parent meeting. The next day, I met with a group of counselers, teachers, parents and the school resource officer and drafted an emergency plan that was shared with my supervisor and a few other people for reaction and input. The Tuesday after that, the final plan was presented to all faculty and staff, the school leadership team and the PTSA. I must add that none of the other TUSD schools had an emergency plan. The district was in the initial phases of establishing guidelines to give to schools so that individual emergency plans could be developed. Under the circumstances, I admit that we at Roskruge moved fast and responsibly to parent requests.

In regards to the uniform issue, I did express my concerns about the value of uniforms at Roskruge and I stand by my opinions. To this day, no one has explained the real reason why uniforms should be imposed on our students, especially in light of the fact that it was one teacher and his wife who were most adamant about this issue. The rest of the parents expressed their contentment with the status quo at the different meetings held to hear the issue. I fail to see the unfairness of handling this and any other issue brought up to me or any other district administrator.

--Conrad L. Gómez


The Way It Is Going To Be

To the Editor,

Tom Danehy's "Night Moves" (May 25) was excellent. It really discussed the problem. What it didn't discuss was what to do about it; in fact, at the end, one night cruiser made it clear that if you close one area, they will go somewhere else.

I know this idea doesn't agree with The Weekly's political ideas, but we are in fact moving toward a two class, upper and lower society. The night cruisers, regardless of where they come from, are the lower class of the future. Rich parents may keep them out of jail for awhile, but sooner or later they will end up shot dead, in prison or just taken on a one-way trip to the desert.

We may not like it but that is the way it is going to be.

--Stuart A. Hoenig


Detroit Will Rise Again

To the Editor,

Regarding Margaret Regan's "Refuge In Refuse" (June 8): As a 50-year Detroit resident, I must write in protest. Detroit is a victim, but no more than any large city--Newark, Los Angles, etc.

The destruction began long before 1960, the push to get from east to west, to go north to south and then connect east to south, north to west, etc.--lots of ditches were built. Family homes were destroyed along with churches, schools, conveniences, etc. Residents were scattered, business relocated or lost. The City of Detroit grew and prospered for 250 years. Give us a break. We will be great again.

--Catherine D. Mulloy

P.S. I am a visitor to Tucson. Love your bus service--courteous and convenient.