Fresno police and misconduct: Letters to the editor, July 12, 2020
High cost of Fresno police misconduct
Qualified immunity shields public officials from paying damages when they violate our rights. In addition to the nearly $200 million Fresno PD receives annually, we taxpayers spend a further $2 million, not including lawyers’ fees, paying out victims of police misconduct.
If we really care about fiscal responsibility, let’s make our public servants responsible for violations. Make them buy insurance like health-care providers. I’ll bet they think twice before abusing citizens when there’s a financial penalty.
You can contact your representatives and ask them to support Justin Amash’s H.R. 7085 to end qualified immunity nationwide.
Zach Baroni, Fresno
Helping Fresno police also helps us
Today I read a Fresno Bee article: “Housing Agency Urged to Rethink its Relationship With Police” and heard an uplifting podcast interview with Cmdr. Dale Brown of Threat Management in Detroit.
Mike Karbassi, can you hear me? Past and future mayors of Fresno, will you listen? This is your opportunity to save lives. Now is a unique time to be bold and put Fresno on the forefront of nonviolent conflict de-escalation. Please take this opportunity. Reach out to this organization. They have a very long and enviable record of peaceful conflict resolution on the beat. They will work with us in any number of ways. They already have 5,000 clients.
My fellow residents of District 2 and Fresno citizens, please reach out to our elected representatives. Urge them to explore this modern solution to a problem we are all too tired of hearing about. They will work side by side with our Fresno PD or work to train them. Nothing will change if we don’t make it happen. The police are not the problem, but we can make our city better by looking at options to help them do their job and enhance their relationship with the people.
Ed Monson, Fresno
Follow the law, or rule of anarchy?
It is illegal to not wear a mask in close public places. Sheriff Mims says she will not enforce the law.
I assume we can now drive drunk and shout “fire” at the theater. Is there a list of laws that will be enforced, or should we just assume anarchy and do as we please?
Patrick Farnsworth, Fresno
Account for climate change
The Valley Air District board recently gave its annual report, and outlined a number of commendable actions it has been taking to improve air quality. But I didn’t see a single word about climate change and its effect on our air.
Many medical groups, including the Fresno-Madera Medical Society, consider climate change to be a significant public health threat. Extreme weather can elevate ozone concentrations, impair the health of outdoor workers, exacerbate forest fires, and fill our air with dangerous smoke. Air pollution has even been linked to higher death rates from COVID-19 infections, according to a recent Harvard study.
Fighting climate change addresses four problems at the same time: air pollution, rising CO2 levels, our health, and our economy. California’s cap-and-trade program helps our Valley replace highly polluting trucks, cars, tractors, and pumps. The money is estimated to produce $5 in health-care savings for every $1 spent.
And it’s not just humans that are affected. Climate change also impacts the health of our Valley’s animals and crops, on which our economy depends.
The Valley Air board needs to start acknowledging the elephant in the room. The directors ignore climate change at our peril.
Don Gaede, Fresno
This story was originally published July 12, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fresno police and misconduct: Letters to the editor, July 12, 2020."