Majority Rule

Re “Propositions: Democracy Speaking,” by James P. Pinkerton, June 4: My mother, both sets of my grandparents, all of my aunts and some of my uncles (those not in the U.S. Army) were incarcerated for a good part of World War II. All but my grandparents were U.S. citizens.

I don’t think that Roper and Field were around to take polls back then, but based on what I know and what was reported at the time, my guess is that the majority of Californians supported the internment of my relatives.

So, don’t remind me or my relatives, or the slaves, or blacks sitting at the back of the bus or women before they had the right to vote, about the majority speaking “loudly and clearly.” All of us, at times, have heard the people’s shrill call and have had to wait for calmer voices to prevail.

LYNNE AOKI

Garden Grove