Letters: Dallas Police, Joshua Whitfield, MAGA Hat, Interstate 30, Howard Schultz

Hire officers or lose residentsRe: "Force keeps on shrinking — Officers still leaving faster than they can be replaced," Wednesday news story.Most of us who live in the city of Dallas already know there is a critical shortage of police officers. And now we're told the problem will get much worse since we are losing police officers faster than we are hiring them.The situation here in Pleasant Grove is getting more and more dangerous. Street racing and firing of automatic weapons is becoming a common nightly ritual. I suspect it's happening in other neighborhoods as well. We law-abiding residents hunker down in our homes, praying that a stray bullet doesn't kill one of our children or pets. Calling 911 is almost a waste of time, since we don't know specifically where the shots are coming from and the police are usually too overwhelmed to respond in a timely manner.As a retired person, I must seriously consider leaving Dallas. I cannot justify living somewhere I do not feel safe. I hope the City Council and mayor read this. Hiring to replace this critical shortage of police officers must be your priority. Tina Sanchez, Dallas/Pleasant GroveSmug dismissals feed problemsRe: "Column was shocking," by Steve Gandy, Monday Letters.Steve Gandy says he was "shocked" that this newspaper published an op-ed piece that dared to criticize some aspects of life in Dallas. He then said, "If this place is so bad I suggest [the authors] ... go find a city that might suit them." Gandy's smug dismissal is typical of an all-too-widespread attitude that is significantly responsible for the continuing shameful existence of such shortcomings as a sometimes incompetent (and sometimes corrupt) city government, a disgraceful income and housing inequality, and a power structure that for more than a century has bought off minority leaders — to the great harm of their supposed constituents. Bill Halstead, Far North DallasFear of hats, collars irrationalRe: "Grotesque cartoon of Christianity goes viral — Ideals of faith may have motivated boy's calm, but that hat is a divisive symbol of faith pimped for politics," by Joshua J. Whitfield, Sunday Points.Please inform the Rev. Whitfield, on my behalf as a Catholic, that the MAGA caps worn by the Kentucky high school kids were no more inflammatory to reasonable persons than his wearing of a Roman clerical collar. No one who is not a bona fide member of the indignity industry could possibly be offended by those caps, which convey a rather broad message to which many of us, Catholic and otherwise, subscribe.There are those who might be "triggered" by the sight of a Roman Catholic collar. Victims of priestly sexual abuse (justifiably), but also many mean-spirited atheists and modern-day know-nothings. Would he wear "civvies" to a pro-life rally instead of the collar because of the irrationality of some?John Wallace, Dallas/Preston Hollow'Pimping' notion absurdJoshua Whitfield apparently doesn't believe you can be true to the faith if you wear a MAGA cap. The symbolism is just too detestable in its support for the president's policies. So how different is questioning someone's faith for wearing a MAGA cap than assuming a priest's white collar advocates for pedophilia? Both notions are patently absurd, of course.Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, a Catholic by the way, has signed legislation that greatly expands access to abortion. Is he "pimping the faith for politics?" Flowery rhetoric to show how righteous you are is easy when you're not directly, personally affected. I've read Whitfield before, and it strains credulity to believe he isn't political. A cassock isn't the attire of a pimp, and neither is a red cap.Mike Savage, Bend, Ore.Push for rerouting I-30 Re: "I-30 redo plan fails to connect — Leaders want project to revive neighborhoods cut off from downtown," Tuesday news story.While it is wonderful to read Dallas city leadership pushing back on the Interstate 30 proposal from TxDOT, could we go a step further to reroute I-30 and use the existing right of way to restore Mill Creek in the I-30 Canyon and transform the overhead I-30 Fair Park curve right of way into a street-level, pedestrian-oriented boulevard and mall linking downtown to Fair Park? CityMAP included an I-30 rerouting alternative, and this option should be given serious consideration. Whether the replacement route runs parallel to White Rock Creek to link with Interstate 45 or bypasses downtown Dallas along the former Santa Fe Railroad corridor, replacing the existing I-30 Canyon and Fair Park curve right of way with a linear park and grand boulevard would do more for central Dallas to spur higher density growth, attract people to live and work and get residents to ditch their vehicles. We've done this in the past in downtown Dallas with former railroad lines and in Fort Worth moved I-30 several blocks south to open up Lancaster Avenue. So, it can be done. We just need to push this a step further to make this a reality.Robert Prejean, DallasThird-party candidate riskyHoward Schultz need only look to the 2000 presidential election to see the results of a third-party candidate. With Ralph Nader running as the nominee of the Green Party, we got George W. Bush over Al Gore, and the Iraq War, No Child Left Behind and eventually the Great Recession. As difficult as it is to imagine a worse outcome, four more years of Trump quite possibly could be one of the most horrific periods in our history. Please ask yourself, Mr. Schultz, is this something you're willing to risk?John K. Schertz, Dallas/Oak Lawn  Continue reading...