Letters to the Editor (June 30)

Unfair to keep seized cash

Barbara Reese was pulled over by troopers in 1995 and her property, thousands of dollars in cash, was seized. Of a recent legislative decision that would return $11,833.60 to Reese, Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer line-item vetoed their wishes.

He claimed “the criminal history of this individual, which includes multiple felony convictions for burglary and theft, as well as drug trafficking, casts doubt upon the veracity and soundness of the claim. It would be bad precedent, and bad policy, to make this payment in this manner, especially with bill language that accuses law-enforcement officers of an improper act without the benefit of due process.”

Reese was never charged with a crime to warrant keeping of her property, thus was denied the same “due process” disparaged to troopers.

More insidious is that Reese committed said offenses in her 60s.

Perhaps as Rep. Steve Alford makes assumptions of black people and marijuana, Colyer assumes they are predisposed to a life of crime should there be a history.

This assumption smacks of libel to Reese’s character, it smacks of willful ignorance to the discrimination our black people must endure and I ask voters to remember his feckless comments this fall.

Stop tailgating, Wichita drivers

I believe the tailgating of moving vehicles in Wichita has gotten to a dangerous epidemic.

Wichita police should start monitoring and come down hard on this matter. Tailgating has become more dangerous, especially on the highway. Tailgating, to me, is a form of bullying.

When I am being tailgated, I start slowing down. You have plenty of room to go around me. You are an accident waiting to happen and you’re a danger not only to yourself, but to those around you.

Start practicing the five-second following distance rule. Get back in your driver’s handbook and truly learn the rules of the road.

In the name of border security

We elected our representatives to be the voice of the people and we, the people, need them to speak out and demand that the Trump administration reunite the families they have torn asunder.

Not just the narrow definition of family they use. The people who crossed the border together cared enough about each other to call each other family — grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings.

The priority must be to close these detention facilities where people are caged like animals. Our representatives pretend to stand for Kansas families when they know in their hearts that if people weren’t so blinded by rhetoric, Kansas families would be horrified at what this administration has done in the name of border security.

America is better than this

There seems plenty of blame going around about safety. In America, we should not have to spend millions of dollars just to protect our public officials from injury or harassment.

We should not have to use threatening action to protect the lives of children who are abused and/or removed from their parents and others having their rights denied. There is something in humanity that says life should be peaceful and loving.

It seems that is where we need to start spending our energy and resources. Let’s start treating each other like humans. Now. The alternative is not a pleasant thought.