Fuzzy thinking

Re: “The other victims” by Foon Rhee (Editor’s note, June 29):

Sorry, but that is some fuzzy thinking. Since the Sac police are inefficient in solving crime, we should continue to fund them to be inefficient in solving crime? And though some people are urging complete defunding, most people are urging removal from police responsibility of interactions that allow and promote racial profiling. Investigations could be done by many different people; it is not logically a function of armed police.

Dan Allison, via sacramento.newsreview.com

Overfunded and ineffective

Police departments can simultaneously be overfunded and grossly ineffective. And Crime Victims United is a lobbying subsidiary of police unions.

Raymond Sanchez, via Facebook

Imagine a new model

Throwing good money after bad is not a solution, and will not alter outcomes. Change is required. Imagine if mental health responders arrived instead or (or with) police during mental health emergencies. Imagine that taking reports of theft was completed by trained city workers not wearing a gun. Imagine if homeless calls were met by trained social workers working with police. Imagine that instead of patrol officers driving around punching license plates into their computer looking for people to pull over, they were actually investigating crimes.

All of this can happen by diverting funds from police to other types of responders. The data is pretty clear that poor areas of the city are over-policed in ways that do not solve actual crimes.

Patrick Corcoran, via sacramento.newsreview.com

Knock it down

The whole institution needs to to be rebuilt from the ground up. This article is so tone deaf. You don’t build onto a building that is crumbling. You knock the whole thing down to the foundations. You have an architect build a new plan. That’s what we need. That’s what we are asking for. We want something that is effective and fair.

Erica Eakes, via Facebook

Police were loud, too

Re: “The loudest voice” by Foon Rhee (Editor’s note, July 2):

When the “loudest voices” at the table were the police and sheriff patrols, there sure wasn’t much push back, despite the constant murders and miscellaneous brutality. BTW, do we know how much out-of-court settlements have cost the city and county over, say, the past five years?

Dave Abston, via sacramento.newsreview.com

Bad aim on masks

Re: “Present tense. Future still unwritten” by Joey Garcia (Ask Joey, June 23):

I don’t know anyone who has “self-righteousness about wearing a mask.” We are wearing a mask out of concern of being asymptomatic and spreading the virus to others. Most of the people who don’t wear a mask don’t give a damn about others and are only concerned about their “freedom” and rebelling against being told what to do.

You have accused the wrong people since they are the ones who are self-righteous and narcissistic.

Tom Alexander via sacramento.newsreview.com

Live bands

Re: “A prayer for janky Sacramento” by Steph Rodriguez (Arts & Culture, July 2):

Please, if there’s one thing I need right now, it’s live music.

Brooke Purves via Facebook

About time

Re: “Teaching moment” by William Burg (Essay, June 22):

Hallefrickinlujah! That god-awful Isabella and Christopher Columbus statue is finally going to be removed from the state Capitol rotunda.

I was a tour supervisor of the state Capitol tours when the newly restored Capitol reopened. I also gave tours during the physical restoration of the building. That Isabella & Columbus gargoyle was always a sharp stick in my eye, not so much because it was so historically stupid when it came to California history but because it totally interfered with the spectacular flow and view of the world renowned Capitol rotunda.

William J. Hughes, via email