Don’t say maybe
Thank you for your article this week in response to a letter commenting on the egregious state of housing for the homeless in town [Read This First, June 10, 2008]. I appreciate C-VILLE Weekly covering this issue this last year.
I am dumbfounded how a council that cares so much about “social and economic justice” was unable to come up with a temporary interim plan (or way to bend code) to prevent the doors from closing on all local options that were already in place.
There were programs in place that were proactive programs—it was not about “handouts,” as some might think. To hear that classes that did exist in computer skills and other skills training are now absolutely unavailable is just sickening.
Lastly, at the last City Council meeting where the closing of the last shelter was announced, one of the Council members suggested “maybe we need to do something about this.” Maybe? There is no maybe about it.
Leaving aside all moral obligations, if this town wants to attract businesses, tourists and new residents, this issue must be addressed. We cannot wait three years for the SROs.
It is astonishing that the Chamber of Commerce, CAAR and local businesses did not get together with the city to head off this terrible situation. This problem is everyone’s problem.
I hope you will continue to alert citizens as to how we can make a difference in getting the city to act. This crisis never should have gotten to this point.
Thank you for reminding us why journalism remains such an important agent of change in the culture!
Leslie Mandus
Charlottesville
Sour ilk
Dear Bleeding Heart: So ONE HUNDRED vicious murderers have been executed since 1976 [Read This First, June 24, 2008]; how many innocent victims have been BRUTALLY murdered since 1976?
You and your ilk make me sick! You keep harping about the POSSIBLE INNOCENT CONVICTS who MIGHT have been executed. With today’s DNA and other tools available to law enforcement, I doubt that any of those executed were innocent, and more likely, some guilty murderers went free as a result of skillful lawyers and naive jurors who could not believe that one HUMAN BEING could possibly wilfully kill another innocent being.
F.W. Kahler
Earlysville
The thrill is gone
I was both saddened and excited for John Ruscher when I read that he will be leaving the Charlottesville community to move on to bigger and better things [“Slanted and enchanted,” July 1, 2008]. I had the pleasure of getting to know John over the past year as a fellow music fan, a top notch journalist, and most importantly, a great guy. Literally the only non-band member to ever brave more than two days with us in our band van, John was easily the most gracious and easy-going music critic we’ve ever come across, and his kindness in supporting the local Charlottesville music scene through his weekly column and blog was unmatched. He will be sorely missed!
Good luck, John, and all the best!
Will Anderson, Sparky’s Flaw
Charlottesville