Rights and Wrongs in a Civil Society
Re “Search, but Don’t Destroy Liberties,” Voices, July 7:
So, American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Ramona Ripston thinks that students should not be touched when there is no reason to suspect they are carrying a weapon. Why, then, should I be forced to go through the metal detector at the courthouse when no one has any reason to suspect that I’m carrying a weapon? That is a form of intrusion on my personal privacy.
Does anyone remember the schoolyard shootings that seem to be popular these days? Perhaps if there had been better security they wouldn’t have happened.
Ripston points out that the searches in question are in South-Central Los Angeles, where race and class reportedly play a part. The leading cause of death among young black males is homicide by other young black males. Does Ripston wish the killings to continue unabated in order to protect our civil rights? Perhaps she should talk to the parents of slaying victims and get their viewpoints.
Burl Estes
Mission Viejo
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