Bee readers sound off on downtown Fresno, needle exchanges, city landmarks

Fresno downtown vitality is at risk

In my 46 years downtown, Fresno has grown in every direction, doubling in size to become the 5th largest city in California. Many of us have witnessed the development of Woodward Park, new neighborhoods west of Highway 99, the construction of crosstown freeways, the explosive growth of Riverpark and more.

One thing we haven’t seen is a fully revitalized downtown. When the (Fulton) mall was removed a few years ago, new restaurants immediately opened, our Brewery District flourished, a Cultural Arts Park was added and thousands of people moved into new loft-style apartments and renovated live/work spaces. We were on our way. Then something bad happened.

Some blame COVID, others blame the 25% cut in police bike patrols, or retailers who boarded the windows of fully occupied buildings. Ten years ago, property owners agreed to tax ourselves nearly $1 million per year to establish a property based improvement district. This money was to enhance city services and provide a clean, green, vibrant downtown.

My concern now is that PBID has lost its way and become ineffective. PBID should recognize this problem explicitly and propose a strategy to kickstart the revitalization of downtown. The renewal of PBID is at risk.

Reminiscing of Fresno yore

I was so pleased to read Joshua Tehee’s article about Fresno’s water tower, and I only wish we could read more stories in the paper about Fresno’s landmarks and past.

Some of my most treasured keepsakes are from the section The Bee used to run of what happened 40 or 50 years ago, when Fresno seemed to me to be a much more thriving city. Your comment that the water tower project demonstrates that the city is turning a corner with how it appreciates historic assets excites me. I still remember the day I watched the old County Courthouse come down from my office across the street in the Del Webb building.

I recall riding on the city bus as a child from our home on Shields near Van Ness (and yes, in those days it was safe enough for me to ride alone at 7 or 8 years of age), and I recall not being tall enough to see much from the bus window except the tall water tower (or maybe a tank) on Clinton Avenue, I believe, near Maroa. I always watched for it, and it was a highlight of my ride into town.

Once I arrived downtown I was always instructed to go to the small dress shop where my aunt worked, or to the barbershop where my dad would be having his hair cut on a Saturday morning. There were never any incidents, and the Saturday mornings always ended with a trip to Courthouse Park, where I was rewarded with a helium-filled balloon. The only incident occurred when I opened the car window and my balloon flew to the heavens, causing lots of tears!

In defense of needle exchanges

Needle exchange programs (NEPs), are a controversial topic. There are avid supporters who believe that NEPs benefit the community and the individuals served. However, there is strong opposition who believe that NEPs deliver more harm than good.

The Bee has written a number of articles on this topic; however, more should be done to spread awareness of NEPs and their benefits. For example, people might not know that there are different types of NEPs.

The NEP that is available in Fresno is a mobile NEP that delivers its services from a camper at the same location, time, and day each week. There are countless benefits to the individuals who receive services. Research shows that having consistent services from NEPs can push an individual to enroll in addiction treatment services. Research shows more benefits, including providing low-income individuals with shame-free medical services that may be too expensive to afford at hospitals and challenging to access.

Makes sense to have needle exchanges

Your Dec. 2 article on Biden emphasizing the need to address HIV/AIDS in America was powerful. At Fresno State, I was privileged to research needle exchange programs and incidentally, their role in mitigating the spread of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C propagated through needle sharing.

While COVID-19 has taken the forefront of the mainstream conversation concerning public health, HIV/AIDS is still a critical issue in the U.S. that can be reduced with the greater implementation of NEPs. Few know about NEPs and those who have heard of them may hold misconceptions. NEPs don’t just exchange used needles for clean ones; research shows that many also provide resources and services, such as wound treatment and avenues to help manage addiction.

NEPs also directly benefit the community by reducing the number of dirty needles in circulation and providing safe needle disposal, equating to fewer needles strewn in the streets or playgrounds where children play. Greater public awareness about NEPs can garner more political and financial support for these programs and is an approach that I know can make a difference in the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Calling on COVID protection plans

Today’s online news alert, “California issues universal indoor mask mandate as COVID-19 cases rise,” is literally a breath of fresh air. While we may look better compared with other Central Valley counties, our vaccination rate still lags behind the state’s and many California counties outside the Central Valley. We suffer higher positivity rates, case numbers, deaths, and hospital bed and staffing shortages. We should have been masking in public indoor spaces long ago, just as the smarter (healthier) half of California has been doing.

It’s now up to our City Council, county Board of Supervisors, public health officer, chief of police and sheriff to get on board with the rest of California and start protecting us if we won’t protect each other. It may be tough, but we cannot allow our infection and death rates to remain static, or climb even higher after holiday shopping and public mingling.

It is well past time to remove the political barriers and implement every known tool to curb the spread and unnecessary devastation of COVID. Our citizens deserve the same safety protections other California counties are enjoying. Under my mask, I’m breathing a sigh of relief!

In defense of Henry Madden Library

I write to oppose the proposal to change the name of the Madden Library. I feel strongly about this having known Henry Madden since coming to CSUF in l956 as an instructor in the English Department, from which I’m now retired after 40 years.

Henry befriended me early on in Fresno as a consequence of his having read an essay of mine on James Joyce’s “Ulysses” in a literary quarterly. I have known him professionally and personally — we were neighbors in the 1950s and ‘60s — and I saw him often back then. I’ve taken several trips to San Francisco with him, one of which concerned with collecting a German car I had asked him to bring to the US for me with one of his own cars.

Now as to Henry Madden’s life apart from his distinction as a high-ranked librarian: he was active in progressive politics, a friend and sponsor of a number of students at CSUF, and of course the overseer of the University Library from its humble beginnings in a plain undistinguished building to its present splendor. Along with his other good works I must mention that in l956 when the Soviets moved into Hungary to crush a nascent democratic government, he exerted himself to organize support for the beleaguered Hungarians.

I make no excuse for Madden’s antisemitism as expressed in a private letter evidently written a number of years ago. I’ve never heard him speak thus since I’ve known him. I think and believe he has renounced those ugly beliefs. I close by asking who among us has not in unguarded moments similarly felt or spoken in biased and blinkered ways we later regret.

Bee column taken to task by reader

I was appalled at the “commentary” by Marek Warszawski on Dec. 8 regarding Congressman Devin Nunes leaving Congress. It should have been entitled “slanted opinion.”

He opines that everyone should be relieved because Devin hasn’t represented his district constituents for years. On the contrary, as ranking member, his work on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence not only serves the people of the Valley, but all Americans.

Marek misstated that Devin is ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee. Instead, he chairs a subcommittee on health. There is no guarantee that he would rise to chairman of Ways and Means in a new Congress. But Marek apparently believes that Devin should be more like Bill Thomas and deliver pork-laden projects to his district. That liberal thinking has, in part, led to our record deficits.

Finally, Marek implies that Devin’s departure clearly means he doesn’t care about his constituents. That would be like Marek taking another job out of state and his readers believing that he never cared about the topics he wrote about that affect them. Instead of spewing liberal talking points, he would be better served by doing his due diligence. C’mon, man!

This story was originally published December 26, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Bee readers sound off on downtown Fresno, needle exchanges, city landmarks."