Tyisha Miller’s Death and Racism

Re Karen Grigsby Bates’ May 16 column, “When Protector and Protected Clash,” regarding the unfortunate death of Tyisha Miller and the question Bates’ poses: Would Miller be alive today if she were sandy-haired and green-eyed? I have this response: When my 42-year-old schoolteacher brother was pulled over for allegedly running a stop sign, he was screamed at continually by the rookie officer when he dared to say he hadn’t run the stop sign. All of this happened in view of his two sandy-haired, blue- and green-eyed sons, ages 12 and 8.

While no one was injured or killed in that incident, many lessons were learned; among them that it doesn’t matter what color you are to an officer who has not been trained to rein in the taste of power that a uniform affords. Bottom line to Bates’ question: probably not.

WENDY ROBINSON

Fullerton

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As an attorney, I am confronted on a daily basis with the results of racism. It is easy to understand why minorities feel disenfranchised in Riverside when there is not one African American or Hispanic judge in the entire county. This is not merely shameful but more accurately an atrocity. Similarly, there is not one African American supervising deputy district attorney in Riverside County. When the face of justice in Riverside is always white, why is there bewilderment at the outrage expressed by the unrepresented minorities?

If the Miller tragedy accomplishes nothing else, I hope it will result in the appointment of minority judges to the Riverside County bench and encourage Dist. Atty. Grover Trask to promote African Americans, so the face of justice in Riverside will reflect the community.

GORDON COX

Riverside