Fans Down on Downey for Column That Said Magic Shouldn’t Play

Man, I hated that you wrote that article, too. Mike Downey, living a productive life does not mean getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, going out and waving to a couple of crowds, eating dinner, and going to bed. This is what you suggest Magic Johnson do. Maybe, according to your article, he should just roll over and die. Then he could surely put everyone at ease.

There was a time when people did not want to play contact sports with black people. Many thought that if they touched a black person, the color would come off. If we continually succumb to the public’s fears, we will never grow and we will learn nothing.

LORI WILLIAMS

Los Angeles