Letters: Open schools | Support journalism | Stories’ focus | Gun safety | Police recruiting | Authoritarian nature

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Keep schools open
— even during storms

The recent storm led to a lot of issues in my community. Our school district was forced to close our school due to a power outage.

I understand the complexity of this decision, but I think we should view this event as a learning lesson. After shelter-in-place and more than one year of online classes for students, I hope that schools can stay open and offer in-person classes by doing everything they can to prevent schools from being shut down again.

One possible solution to power outrage is for schools to have their own power generators to provide electricity. If hospitals can stay open 24-7, schools can open from 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Elsa Fang
Saratoga

Writing bots a call
to support journalism

The author of the Feb. 1 letter, “Essay-writing bot no reason to cheer,” (Page A6) says bots threaten already stressed journalism. Maybe, but it could also promote journalism where the writers showcase their understanding of complex issues we need to know more about.

In the Feb. 1 paper is an editorial on the fight over the Colorado River drawing insights no bot can create (“State has major stake in Colorado River fight,” Page A6). And Elissa Miolene doesn’t just repeat quotes from the new San Jose State president but gives comments from students and professors she interviewed (“New SJSU president’s top priority: Listening to students,” Page A1) — can’t duplicate that with a bot. By necessity, a lot of the paper uses AP and NYT stories and opeds from other papers. But these are stories most likely to be relevant to our area and editorials drawing conclusions that no bot could compose because they are good journalism.

We as readers need to seek out and reward good journalism now more than ever.

Jeffrey Watt
San Jose

Don’t focus stories
on killers, deeds

The thoughts and prayers, condolences, political hand-wringing, investigations into motives and thoughtful editorials are not stopping the mass shootings. Thus far, we are not able as a nation to agree on how to control gun violence.

However, as with suicide, there can be a contagious element to these horrendous acts. To avoid the copycat syndrome, the media should consider changing the way it addresses the incidents, as it has done when reporting, (that is, not reporting), on suicides. With articles about mass shootings, stop naming the suspect and describing the crime detail by detail, minute by minute, hour by hour. Honor the victims and stop the excessive focus on the crime and the criminal.

Danielle Mewes
Palo Alto

Will Baldwin case put
the focus on gun safety?

Re. “Alec Baldwin faces manslaughter charge in shooting,” Page A3, Feb. 1:

I was very glad that Alec Baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, and hope he is charged with the more serious alternative of reckless disregard of safety “without due caution and circumspection.”

As a young teenager in the Midwest, I learned in using guns for hunting pheasants and shooting clay pigeons that you never point a gun at someone, even if you’re absolutely certain it’s not loaded. It’s just common sense, which Baldwin apparently lacks, as good of an actor as he is.

His punishment should serve as a warning to everyone, be they 6 or 90, that guns are not something to be fooled around with. There might even be less gun violence if young people with access to guns had training in how to, and how not to, use them.

Peter Ross
San Jose

Police recruiting is
key to ending abuse

Let’s tell each other what we all know deep down. Every life, including Black lives, should matter, and if someone is to be given special power over it, say for our children or our streets or our political offices, they must be exceptional.

Cop lives matter too, and it’s why we should protect the good ones with higher standards of enrollment, mandatory emotional management programs, domestic violence screening, psychological profiling and scheduled therapy.

We need more great cops, real cops, and fewer badged thugs who don’t know and never were taught what a real man, woman and community leader really are.

Wesley Walker
Sunnyvale

Authoritarian nature of
policing inspires abuse

The Tyre Nichols story leads me to believe that reform won’t be enough to address police corruption.

These tragedies we constantly witness stem from a subculture that promotes police brutality and abuse of power. The nature of policing encourages a mindset of militarization and authoritarianism. An authoritarian mentality is bound to create a gap between officers and the people they protect. It makes these types of situations likely to happen again.

Edgar Landin
San Jose