Features
Letters to the Editor
SOUTHSIDE ASSAULTS
Editors, Daily Planet:
For some time, I have been concerned about the assault robberies on the streets in South Berkeley and North Oakland that occur virtually daily. Many times, people are hit in the face or on the back of the head. The next thing they know they are on the ground with their pockets being picked. Usually, the only description the victim can give is the gender and race of the perpetrator, nothing else. Some victims are seriously hurt. About half of the incidents involve weapons.
Several months ago, there were a couple of letters to the editor about groups of junior high school kids assaulting and robbing younger victims on the streets of Berkeley, and the reluctance of the police to intervene and to treat these incidents as crimes. Apparently one Berkeley district attorney refuses to prosecute most such cases based on a belief that Berkeley citizens would rather avoid legal confrontation for the sake of community peace.
Several recent issues of the Daily Planet have had many letters to the editor concerning the unrestrained bullying taking place in the Berkeley public schools. Some writers noted that it is usually the victim being punished. Does anybody else see a connection?
Osman Vincent
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FAREWELL
Editors, Daily Planet:
If, given Richard Brenneman’s article of April 9 (“Berkeley’s Tower Records Throws in the Towel”), we are to say hail and farewell to a 30-year institution on Durant Avenue, let us also recall its predecessor and a genuine artifact of the counter-culture—Leopold’s.
Leopold’s literally began in a closet across the street from the current/longtime Tower records. It was named for the memorable orchestral conductor Leopold Stokowski.
One could make a charitable contribution at Leopold’s and get a “free” album in return, among other things.
Hail and farewell, Leopold’s and Tower.
Phil Allen
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MEAN TO THE EXTREME
Editors, Daily Planet:
Zelda Bronstein recently blamed Shirley Dean for something Mayor Tom Bates did (“Bates, Stoloff and UC: Dean to the Extreme?” Daily Planet, March 26-29). She stretched the truth and used some totally wrong information.
Maybe this is election year strategy to take the focus off “the powers that be”—the left-leaning Berkeley Citizens Action. Considering the horrendous mess they are making of Berkeley, I can understand why they might want to blame someone else. Their awesome power includes seven BCA-endorsed councilmembers and the city attorney who was a member of BCA when she was appointed.
Dean is not on the council today, and can’t be blamed for most council decisions of the last 20 years, because BCA held the majority for all but two of those years. During 1995-96, Dean had the majority which did some great things, including passing the University Avenue Strategic Plan. But BCA regained control and to date have subverted the plan.
Dean should be evaluated for what she’s done, and not done. She never was a part of the BCA’s school closures—past or present. And Dean is amazing—considering our political leaders who “speak with forked tongue.” BCA is a strategic planning group, making careful chess moves to our checkers. One of their latest strategies is to say they no longer exist!
BCA’s record should be carefully scrutinized, documented, and even filmed! Just for fun, take a break for a moment, and image a film where our actions can change the course of events and therefore the ending of the movie. Imagine a fantasy based on the BCA story, starring Jack Nicholson (As Good As It Gets) playing Tom Bates, but include some dream scenes of the future as in A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life.
Back to reality. The actions and agenda of Tom Bates need to be carefully analyzed. If Bates hadn’t lied to the police about stealing the Daily Cal the day before the November 2002 election, the headlines on election day would have read: “Bates Steals Newspapers Endorsing Shirley Dean.” He would certainly have lost to Dean.
The BCA has too much power and we all know power corrupts. I know them well, because I was one of them, until they came to power for the first time in 1984. At that time they took over the city and schools and played politics with children. Now 20 years later, same thing, same plan: to redesign Berkeley for their purposes. The only difference now is their arrogance has been replaced with deception.
Merrilie Mitchell
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THE PASSION
Editors, Daily Planet:
Mark Winokur (“Film shows Need for Complex Interpretation of History,” Daily Planet, April 9-12) makes a good point. Any filmic depiction of historic events inevitably distorts, by exaggeration or oversimplification, the “true” events, in the process replacing them in “real” history.
Referring to The Passion of the Christ, Winokur calls in a lengthy analysis for a calm recognition by Jews of Jewish involvement in Jesus’ crucifixion. He points out that at least some Biblical Jews must have been offended—for various reasons—by Jesus’ ideas and behavior, and may have overtly or covertly displayed their disapproval.
Therefore, he says, modern Jews should openly accept this as fact and cease “a determined and insistent effort to disavow any possible or significant Jewish collaboration” in that event. Present protestations by modern Jews of ancient innocence “[do]… much to alienate us from our Christian brethren and may…only exacerbate [anti-Semitism].”
While acceding to the historic deadly outbreaks of anti-Semitism, Winokur speaks as though dealing with a moderate affliction such as flu: Inoculate against it by rational acceptance of some ill-defined ancient responsibilities, and rest easy. Excesses such as those in the film will have no effect.
Wrong! Those very excesses demonstrate the persistence of the virus, to which millions over the world are still susceptible: “The Jews killed Christ!” In a world of complex religious schisms (Christianity itself is replete with them) where bitterness is often deep, hard, and incisive, that short mantra still can ring out clear and distinct.
Excesses such as those in The Passion must be challenged promptly every time, as must be all expressions which carelessly impugn any entire group or class.
Morris Berger
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SCHOOL EXCELLENCE
Editors, Daily Planet:
BSEP is a Berkeley property tax that supports Berkeley’s schools. It has been approved by voters for the past 20 years and has provided class size reduction, library and music programs in our schools. One portion of the BSEP funds are allocated to each school site for discretionary use. The funds are administered by a BSEP committee consisting of parents, teachers and the principal of each site. Each school uses the funds to provide a unique enrichment to their program.
My experience with the BSEP committee has extended over the past 12 years at Berkeley Arts Magnet. Berkeley Arts Magnet (BAM) has a long history of arts education. The students receive one hour per day, four days a week, of instruction in dance, theater, vocal music, drums or graphic arts. These classes are taught by resident artists and are funded by our discretionary BSEP funds. BAM has won the California Distinguished School award in 1989, 1993, 1997, and 2000. In 1999 it was awarded the California Distinguished Arts and Education award. The students, teachers and parents at BAM believe the arts program enhances students academic learning. Many extra hours of volunteer time are provided by the school community to produce performances and hang art shows. The program works because we have BSEP funding and it is something our school community values and is committed to. Every Berkeley school has a unique BSEP funded program that is chosen and administered by the teachers and parents.
The funding of the BSEP program is to be brought before the Berkeley voters for renewal soon. There is now discussion of mandating the use of the site discretionary funds into specific categories of spending at each site. These mandated spending areas could be school safety, mental health assistance, gardens, any number of worthy enrichment projects. However, mandating the use of the enrichment funds takes the creativity, community spirit, vision and commitment away from individual school sites.
I urge the community to recognize that the BSEP enrichment programs that are inspired, developed and administered at individual school sites give the dollars spent a much higher value. Parents, teachers and students are participating in programs they personally feel are important and make their school special. Volunteer time, commitment and enthusiasm multiply the dollars spent. After BSEP allocation for class size reduction, libraries and music, Berkeley Schools Excellence Project funds should continue to be spent at the discretion of the individual school sites.
Kate Obenour
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SEX AND POT
Editors, Daily Planet:
Many no doubt read recent news articles about a Hayward pot clinic owner found with five pounds of marijuana in her car. She also was in the process of eviction for non-payment of rent on the pot facility for the second time. The first time eviction loomed a donor came to her aid with $11,000 dollars as a partner. She promptly changed the locks to the business on her “partner” who hasn’t been able to contact her.
This illustrates why we don’t need the Community Resource Center with their pot club, needle exchange and Sexworker’s Outreach in our neighborhood, already burdened with drug wars and street violence. (Southwest Berkeley). We have a lot of crime clustered around the methadone clinic near the proposed site on Sacramento Street already as crime statistics show. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to have medical pot across the street from the methadone clinic and those struggling with addictions already. In an area plagued with excessive car break-ins already, few want to see another magnet for addicts. There are already pot clubs nearby on San Pablo and Telegraph surely this is adequate for those who need or want medical marijuana.
Councilmember Kris Worthington expressed support for this group in a recent Berkeley Daily Planet article. Despite several e-mails sent to him, I have yet to receive a reply.
Representatives from neighborhoods near the proposed center expressed dismay that Worthington did not communicate with neighborhood members, nor Councilmember Breland’s or Shirek’s office about his support for the center outside of his own neighborhood. It is said that Worthington suggested South Berkeley as an area where the group could be under the radar after opposition to a location near University Avenue was made clear. A few years ago, a pot club in that area was closed down after numerous armed robberies and other problems.
At a recent meeting with neighborhood groups by those who propose the center, the representatives from the proposed “community resource center” made it clear they don’t care about neighborhood opposition. They also claimed to be working together with support from Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency, (BOSS), which was denied by BOSS leadership. At the same meeting, Robyn Few from the Sexworker’s Outreach claims not to be an advocate for prostitution. Yet, while on house arrest for federal prostitution trafficking charges, she is allowed to “work” on getting legalized prostitution on the ballot in Berkeley.
If Mr. Worthington still supports this addict and sexworker center, surely he could be most effective finding a place for them in his own district.
Robin Wright
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HYPOCRISY
Editors, Daily Planet:
Once again, the international community is applying the double standard to judge an action taken by the Israel Defense Forces against a terror organization whose explicitly stated goal is to obliterate the Jewish state.
Since September of 2000, Hamas has been the leading Palestinian terrorist organization taking responsibility for more than 50 suicide attacks, all under the “spiritual guidance” of Sheikh Yassin.
We in the United States cannot afford to participate in this double standard while we hunt down the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks. Is it not one of the primary responsibilities of a sovereign nation to protect its citizens? How can we be such hypocrites?
Lorri Arazi
Oakland
