Accountability Is Lacking In Latest Police Shootings

Peter Haviland uses typical “attorney rhetoric” to cloud the true issue (“Police Shooting Showed Reckless Disregard of Public,” May 7).

He says that his daughter and a number of her first-grade schoolmates “nearly witnessed the shooting of Ramon Gonzales on their way home from school.” How do you “nearly witness” something? This is a perfect example of sensationalism that confuses the reader and lessens the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction.

With regard to the location of the transaction, who knows if it was the police who selected the 7-Eleven parking lot? Certainly, Mr. Haviland does not. Drug dealers often make impromptu changes for fear of being “set up” by the police.

Because this incident occurred in an area where there are “people of color,” Haviland maintains that it “raises a question of equal protection under the law for all citizens.”

Although I fully support equal rights for all Americans, the suggestion that race played a role serves only to lower my respect for people like Mr. Haviland. There are enough clear-cut examples of racism in our society today, so let’s not cloud the true facts with an unfounded charge of racial overtones.

Perhaps Mr. Haviland should channel his anger toward the true source of the problem: drug dealers like Ramon Gonzalez. If Gonzalez had not been selling drugs (within 200 yards of an elementary school), this unfortunate incident would never have happened.

Now there’s something to get angry about.

JAMES JOLLIFFE

Orange