Letters to the Editor: The undignified, unproductive fight over Kevin de León

To the editor: Thanks to columnist Jean Guerrero for her commentary on the outrage of the day, which is L.A. City Councilman Kevin de León’s refusal to resign. Hers is a voice of reason and compassion that gives substance as well as quiet sanity to the current situation that is hobbling the City Council.

This statement is particularly on point: “The rest of us have our own work to do: to reckon with the issues exposed by that racist conversation as well as the backlash.”

Reactive outrage by itself does not solve problems. It can help only if it is followed by a sincere look at the conditions underneath.

Guerrero shows us that De León is more than that racist conversation in which he partook. We can all benefit from recognizing our tendency to label another person disposable or less valuable.

We don’t have dignity when we are head down fighting over scraps. We need to look up and see that humans are complex beings who can be made to identify the patterns of bias that separate us. Then, we can move forward.

Bridget Tucker, Laguna Woods

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To the editor: It’s ironic that De León’s supporters have said that people calling for his resignation are from outside Council District 14.

That is precisely the point: He and two other members conspired to reorganize their districts to diminish the power of African Americans and others who don’t look like them.

Racism takes many forms, and excluding groups of people based on their ethnicity is one of the worst.

When De León resigns from office, as he must, he can use his free time to take sensitivity training.

Shannon Lyons, Pasadena

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To the editor: Some columnists in The Times appear to live in a hole they can’t get out of. An example is this statement: “We all have to unlearn the biases that render us inhuman to one another.”

I resent that statement. I have seen inhumanity, but it was very rare and certainly not a bias applicable to all of us.

Jerry West, Pasadena