Letters to the editor for Aug. 25
The future of policing?
Recently my family had to call 911 to report that a neighbor was being physically assaulted by her partner. The entire neighborhood could see and hear the altercation taking place. When the Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies came, the couple lied to them, verbally assaulted them, and made threats against several of their neighbors (for calling the cops on them) in the presence of the deputies. This couple has caused 911 to be called on them several times due to serious domestic violence and mental health concerns.
Instead of making any arrests, or using any other resources like crisis intervention officers, the deputies left the scene. They were called again immediately when the couple continued verbally assaulting and making loud and explicit death threats towards everyone around them. The deputies left the scene twice without making any arrests or taking any meaningful action to diffuse the situation, secure the scene, or ensure the safety of the neighbors or the woman who was assaulted.
Is this what policing is going to look like from now on in Washington and Thurston County? Because if so, there is legitimate grounds for a class-action lawsuit against the department and the state of Washington. It is not legitimate, legal or at all morally acceptable to use decent, law-abiding citizens as political pawns this way, leaving us in unsafe conditions with no recourse.
Shame on the department and the state legislature.
Anthony Joseph Draper, Olympia
Ask for better health care for poor families
Due to inadequate health systems in poor areas, approximately 800 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. What’s more, that number is still being amplified due to the impact of COVID-19.
Investing more money in strengthening health systems will save more women, children, and newborns. With a better health system, diseases related to pregnancy and childbirth can be prevented with maternal health care or treated with surgery.
The Borgen Project is an advocacy organization that focuses on eliminating global poverty and the issues that go with it, offering health checks and immunization services for newborns in developing countries.
I urge you to contact our leaders, Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Marilyn Strickland, to support the Reach Every Mother and Child Act.
Your call, email or letter to our members of Congress can make a huge difference. We all can make this world a better place.
Yuting Xu, Lacey
Before Capitol Lake
It is apparent the members of the Olympia City Council have little knowledge of the history of West Bay and absolutely no experience seeing, smelling and avoiding the inlet area at low tide before what is now known as Capitol Lake.
The “beautiful” estuary was and is full of mud flats and there is nothing, I repeat nothing, beautiful about it.
The City Council does not seem to be considering how much landfill exists in West Bay that was not there when the dam was put in to control flooding on Water Street. Oh, didn’t you know that? Winter high tide has flooded up as far as Columbia Street.
Now, think about what will happen to all the water from high tide and it won’t have to be too high of a tide. There will be no dam to control incoming water. The landfill includes Deschutes Parkway, the apartments downtown, the extension of land in the middle of the Bay (isthmus) and all of the landfill from Water Street out into Capitol Lake, plus the mud brought in by the Deschutes River. Do you really believe the high tide can think and decide to stop and not continue flowing up and over all the landfill?
Water Street’s original west side was a slope from the street into the inlet. No restroom, no paths to jog on, etc.
The City Council should actually look at historical pictures to try and understand something about Olympia.
Sandie Maki, Olympia