Regarding a recent East Bay Times story, “Almost half of Californians OK with travel ban,” these findings are complex, just as is the diversity of communities in California.
I’m heartened to see that overall Californians are welcoming toward immigrants. Indicators from the study, such as limiting involvement with ICE, supporting citizenship and protecting immigrants and refugees from violence, reflect the true spirit of California.
Despite Washington’s mounting attacks on immigrants, California has remained steadfast in our values of compassion and inclusion. And here in Contra Costa County, we know that immigrants are a vital part of our families and communities. Nearly one in four residents in our county is an immigrant and deeply rooted here.
I’m proud that our community and county government came together to establish Stand Together Contra Costa, the first immigration hotline and deportation defense initiative serving Contra Costa County residents. As we continue to uphold our values, we’ll move our community forward.
— Marilyn Cachola Lucey, Alamo
Brutality, lack of care at jail starts at the top with sheriff
As a Contra Costa County resident with the West County Detention Facility in my backyard, I was appalled yet again at the allegations that a sheriff’s deputy sexually assaulted inmates at the facility.
It is already a jail that has had a number of complaints from detainees, and this situation puts it over the top. This is a top-down scenario. The brutality and lack of care starts at the top with Sheriff Livingston and bleeds into the rest of the department. The ICE detainee program needs to end, and this sheriff needs to go.
— Nancy Burke, El Sobrante
Prosecute Schaaf for her alert before immigration raids
I’m not surprised by the overwhelming Bay Area support of Mayor Schaaf for her alert of impending ICE raids. The support is typical of narrow-minded opposition to law enforcement when it comes to illegal immigrants.
Claims are being touted that the number of targeted arrests that were thwarted was nowhere near the 864 claimed by ICE. I’m sure that is true, but looking at the warning from an inverse perspective, are we to believe that it had no effect whatsoever?
Clearly, the intent was to limit arrests, thus stalling the process of apprehending dangerous people. It’s this act that clearly serves as abetting and should be prosecuted accordingly.
— Michael Scott, Walnut Creek
Campbell Washington not running again understandable
Annie Campbell Washington will not seek an almost certain re-election as council member for District 4 because she realizes that the work environment at the council is “toxic” and some members are not “honest and full of integrity.”
All I can say is “bully for her” and what took her so long to realize that Oakland City Hall is a rancid dump crawling with low-function, avaricious clowns who have absolutely no standards of ethics, no talent, minimal intelligence and generally behave in a reprehensible manner with no regard for civilized behavior?
Council meetings are appalling fiascos of dysfunctional people repeatedly displaying the least efficacious and most odious aspects of human behavior. This applies to the citizenry who predominate at City Hall and the council members who ought to know better but clearly do not.
I commend the council member for her decision to preserve her integrity and sense of self. Her departure in conjunction with the continued presence on the City Council of the odious and contemptible Desley Brooks confirms the suspicion and belief among educated citizens that our municipal government is hopelessly dysfunctional, corrupt, unreliable and perpetually deficient. Campbell Washington should be commended for her decision to preserve her sense of well being and integrity.
— Jonathan Breault, Oakland
BART unsafe, possibly dangerous, cops unseen recently
I was on BART boarding at San Francisco’s Embarcadero stop heading to the 12th Street station in Oakland at midday on a recent Thursday. The minute the train pulled out of the station, a man in the last row of the last car lit up a crack pipe , constantly lighting it with an open flame lighter.
I moved to the front of the car, away from the man so he could not hear me talking on the intercom and contacted the conductor on it. After describing the situation, the perpetrator and location, the operator told me he could not hear me because, “we are still in the tunnel. Please try again after we get out of the tunnel.”
I tried again as we approached the West Oakland station and again as we got near 12th Street. The entire time the man continued smoking his crack pipe, lighting it with an open flame. A lady passenger took pictures of him on her cell phone between West Oakland and 12th street.
The conductor, after I had been on the intercom with him THREE TIMES, by then should have known exactly what was going on, yet apparently no effort was made to apprehend the crack smoker at either station. No BART police were at West Oakland station or 12th street. Are they serious?
I guess running the train on time supersedes passengers’ safety. There should be armed BART police at every station at all times so that criminals can be taken off trains immediately.
Do we have to wait until another passenger gets stabbed like what happened recently at Coliseum Station? It is especially bad during off-peak hours. I have not been on a transbay train without beggars exercising their First Amendment rights to beg or groups of young men boarding at West Oakland with huge boom boxes, performing stunts and breakdancing while in the tunnel to San Francisco and then collecting money. It almost never fails.
— Walter Ohlemutz, Oakland
Submit your letters to the editor online at www.eastbaytimes.com/letters-to-the-editor.