Letters to the editor for July 20

Do Black lives still matter?

The shooting at the fireworks in Lacey looks like yet another example of justice denied Black people.

A group of people in their early 20s who attended the fireworks show — many of them people of color — were looking for a friend at 11 p.m. because their friend was drunk and had wandered off. They walked by a home where Jordan Pilbro was partying with members of his family. The police report states that the Pilbro people also were drunk.

An argument ensued and it “became racial.” So what was this argument about? Young Black people walk in the vicinity of your home at night when you are drunk (and racist) so you assume what? That they are criminals?

As expected, the kids responded negatively to the racist comments, and Pilbro and others from his group came after them. The police report states that the Pilbro group were the aggressors. Pilbro threw one of the kids to the ground and started punching him in the head.

Kinyoce Zavion Chatman, age 19, announced that he had a gun and he ordered Pilbro to stop. Chatman warned Pilbro multiple times, which just enraged him, so he lunged after Chatman. And Chatman shot him.

Many people witnessed this course of events and independently corroborated the story, according to the charging documents. And yet Chatman sits in jail facing a murder charge and bail is set at $1 million.

Shame on you, Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon!

Jonna VanDyk, Olympia

Planning for sea level rise

The city of Olympia’s plan is to mitigate against a 3-foot rise in sea level — this is a good start.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasts up to a 200-foot increase in some areas. What plan does the city have for that?

The only way to handle a 200-foot rise is to get out of the way. The city’s plan is too little, too late.

Phil Cornell, Olympia

Democrats must act now to protect our rights

I am outraged that the radical conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court have taken away women’s reproductive rights. They have signaled that they will take away other rights. This cannot stand.

Democrats must act now to remove the filibuster, expand the court and establish term limits. Dems have the power to do it — all they need is the political will.

I will do everything in my power to bring more voters to our cause and push back against this radical, out of control Supreme Court. I ask that Sen. Cantwell, Sen. Murray and Rep. Strickland do the same.

Nicolette Oliver, Olympia

The high cost of housing

I just canceled our newspaper subscription. I’ve read a newspaper almost every day since I was 11 years old. I didn’t cancel it because I wanted to so much as I had to. Keeping a roof overhead is more important.

My wife and I spend 45% of our Social Security on shelter and expect the expense to increase 10% next month. Washington state has a serious shortage of housing, which results in higher costs for buyers and renters. According to Gov. Inslee’s Office, this is due “in large part to most cities in Washington enacting restrictive zoning ordinances.”

According to the Census Bureau, the median monthly mortgage payment nationally is $1,621. For Washington state, the median is $1,939, or 20% higher than national. Median gross rent nationally is $1,096. In Washington state, median gross rent is $1,337. That is a 22% over the national median, assuming my math is correct.

These excess payments are going to out-of-state financial institutions, some of which are overseas. Apparently, they are more important than the people here in Washington state.

This adds to the financial burden low-income families have by reducing their disposable income. It hurts local businesses since that money is not being spent locally. It increases the need for government welfare programs, increases crime, homelessness, and the shortage of employment opportunities for workers in the construction trades, and it reduces the state’s GDP. Why did the legislature adjourn instead of fixing this?

Michael H. Wilson, Lacey