Letters: GPD training day draws fire; city planner to speak at event; Amazon wildfires alarm reader
Am I the only one disturbed by the large photo of a “Glendale Police SWAT sniper” proudly displaying his assault weapons on the front page of the Aug. 31 Glendale News-Press Weekend Edition? Unfortunately, this is an age of disturbing mass violence, but a military style police department is not the answer. We need fewer guns in the hands of everyone, including police.
Dennis Reed
Glendale
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Re: “Training day with the police,” Aug. 31. How does providing members of the Glendale Police Advisory Panel the opportunity to shoot firearms further the panel’s stated mission of “increasing transparency” between the community and the police department?
The fact that the panel’s predecessor disbanded seven years ago because of poor attendance speaks volumes about the continued relevance of this body.
The fact that the GPD has a “SWAT sniper” providing training suggests a lack of emphasis on a “community policing” approach to crime prevention in our city.
Noel Johnson
Glendale
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On the Nextdoor website I follow someone posted that an 857-room hotel and a 20-story apartment building might come to Brand Boulevard. All I could say to myself was, “Really?”
What’s happening in Glendale in regards to new buildings, housing density and other future development issues that many of us are concerned about?
The answer to that question will be answered when Bradley Calvert, assistant director of Community Development, speaks about “Planning the Way Forward in Glendale” on Thursday evening, Sept. 12. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Brand Library, 1601 W. Mountain St.
It’s the 2019 annual meeting of Northwest Glendale Homeowners Assn. and is open to all Glendale residents interested in knowing what’s possibly scheduled for the future. As part of its mission, NWGHA endeavors to bring special speakers to its meetings who can enlighten everyone on city matters. These meetings are always open to the community.
Carol Brusha
NWGHA board member
Glendale
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What would we do if the Amazon rain forest was history? The Amazon rain forest is known as “the lungs of the planet,” as it absorbs greenhouse gases and CO2 and produces one-fifth of the oxygen we breathe.
Political bickering over the rain forest fires will delay putting them out and the nightmare of global warming worsens. Can we really afford to lose 20% of the oxygen?
There’s been an 84% increase of fires since last year, and this year alone, there have been 72,483 fires in Brazil. Many of these wildfires are man-made.
The potential money promised by the G-7 nations and the 40,000 troops promised by Brazil’s president can both help only if acted on immediately. More importantly, Brazil needs to reverse this trend of wildfires and deforestation, and significantly decrease the new land-crops and pasture. This is not the time to bicker but rather to extinguish the fire. If the Amazon continues to burn, we will all be burned in the end.
Hopefully, the world will see that the problems in Brazil are global and everyone should cooperate. The Amazon is also a home for indigenous people, home to 50% of global species, and includes nine other countries besides Brazil. Where is our next breath coming from?
Rachel Melikian
Glendale
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