Letters to the Editor: ‘Stupidity’ on Ky gun law; foster families desperately needed.
Release video
Lest we forget, the end of June marks 11 months since a Lexington police officer shot and injured a black man on Chestnut Street and we are still waiting to see the police body camera video. I wonder how long it takes Police Chief Lawrence Weathers to conduct an internal investigation. Whatever happened to transparency and accountability? Speaking of accountability, the Herald-Leader editorial board has some explaining to do too. Back in early April, the newspaper ran an editorial highly critical of Lexington police for their refusal to release video in the case where an officer struck and injured a 19-year-old autistic man with his cruiser. “Release the video,” the headline of the editorial demanded. “Transparency is the only way to judge Lexington police in recent incident,” it added. Police did subsequently release the video. Where is the editorial board’s outrage over the police department’s refusal to release the video regarding the officer-involved shooting on Chestnut Street, which occurred July 31, 2020? I’ve been waiting 11 months to see that video footage. Did the editorial board, and the community, forget about that case?
Thomas Tolliver, Lexington
Save their stories
During World War II, there was a Victory Farm volunteer program for people who were too young to join the armed forces to work on farms to help feed the troops. In 1943, my father-in-law, Harold, signed up for this program. He left our southeastern Kentucky community, traveled five days on a train to reach a potato farm in Maine. The farm owner realized Harold was better suited to handle livestock, so he did. He was only 15 years old. My wife says he fell in love with this place and would have stayed there to live had his grandfather not died. He came home and never returned. Sadly, Harold passed in July 2020. He didn’t die from COVID-19, but as a result of isolation during the pandemic. Some of his remains were buried next to his wife’s grave, some were spread in his pond, and we are taking the remainder of his ashes to spread on the Gantier farm in Maine. We are taking him to his wartime home. If anyone reading this knows of any person in this age group (85-95 years old), please write down their stories, so this amazing time in our history is not lost forever.
Jay Brashear, Viper
‘Stupidity’
A measure that allows concealed carry of firearms without a license became law in Kentucky in 2019. It is hard to believe this kind of stupidity. Shame on the legislator who introduced it, Sen. Brandon Smith. I am a firearms aficionado. I was an expert with a rifle in the Army. I sold guns retail in Houston, Texas. I must have sold thousands of Raven .25 automatics at $50 a pop, sometimes against my advice. And this was when there was at least some measure of sensible gun legislation. It was also a time when a woman came into the store, purchased a Ruger Security-Six, a respectable handgun, and shot herself in the head on the front porch of the store. So it’s the law we must live with. Concerned citizens and especially police need to drill into public awareness. The phrase “within his rights” should be banned from police vocabulary and replaced with “wielding a loaded firearm is the most extraordinary of circumstances.”
Doug Epling, Lexington
Foster care
For 40 years, Gateway Children’s Services in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, has provided “A Lifeline for Change” to Kentucky’s children who have been abused, neglected and abandoned.
Our therapeutic foster care program serves children:
• Ages 0-21
• From across all of Kentucky
• Children who reunite with biological families
• Children who will be adopted
Teenagers are the most underserved children in our foster care system. We urgently need families to foster teenagers.
Fayette County has only 76 foster homes accepting children ages 12 years and older. There are currently 272 children ages 12 years and older in out of home care in Fayette County. That means that only 55.88% of the need is met.
Gateway Children’s Services is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization in Mount Sterling. Please call (859) 498-9892, email fostercare@gatewaychildren.org, or visit gatewaychildrensservices.org/foster-care-services/ or facebook.com/gatewayfostercare to learn more today.
Olivia Ledford, Gateway senior case manager/supervisor, Mount Sterling