Letters: City's reasons for ejecting homeless from camp 'sadistically insulting.'

'No good reason' to clear camp

I read "City clears out homeless camp on Far South Side as activists protest sweep" with horror. There is simply no good reason for Columbus developers to clear out that camp, and no good reason for THIRTEEN police cruisers to look on as dozens of lives are destroyed.

More: City clears out homeless camp on Far South Side as activists protest sweep

To say this is for the health or safety of these people — even as the city's rents climb sky-high, and COVID continues to rip through shelters — is to be either willfully ignorant or sadistically insulting.

Jack Wolfe, Columbus

Alternative options for the homeless

Kudos to the Dispatch reporters highlighting the serious predicament facing homeless persons in need of housing and supportive services. At the present time, shelters are full and there are waiting lists for beds.  As most citizens know, there is no affordable housing, and apartments being created fail to target those who have the least amount of income.

More: Volunteers at Near East Side homeless camp seek funds to help provide resources, dignity

Without a major investment to address issues experienced by homeless persons, there exist few solutions to their housing crisis. There does exist, however, alternative housing options found in several West Coast cities. These range from tiny home villages to garden sheds. Such options cost significantly less money than the housing currently being developed by agencies receiving HUD dollars. Unfortunately, city bureaucrats and funders find reasons, some legitimate, to oppose alternative solutions.

More: Franklin County homeless shelter population up, challenged by lack of affordable housing

It is significant to note that a theme in the article stated the importance of “community“ for those experiencing homeless. The human need to “belong” must be addressed in any housing design for this population. Being a part of a group which can provide support are powerful weapons to combat addiction and mental health problems.

Donald Strasser, Co-Board Chair, Columbus Coalition for the Homeless

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Muslim credo includes 'hatred for none'

The 72nd annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA recently took place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This was the first time the longest-running annual Muslim convention was held since July 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More: Local Muslim community sends message of peace, understanding

The purpose of this convention, as outlined by the Founder of the Community, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, is for members to gather from all across the country to build bonds of brotherhood and increase their spirituality and knowledge by praying together and listening to presentations.

More: Letter: I am thankful to be able to practice my faith

With Harrisburg being among one of the 70 chapters and auxiliaries, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC) USA is actively engaged in a variety of humanitarian and public outreach campaigns. For example, the Muslims for Life campaign has led to donations of more than 40,000 bags of blood since 9/11.

It is my hope and prayer that more people will come to see Islam in its true light — "Love for All, Hatred for None"  is the AMC's slogan — and not that of terrorists, who cast Islam in the utmost disgraceful manner.

Samar Ahmad, Pickerington

Guns in school? He can't be serious

At first, I thought that Craig Corsini was being sarcastic in his June 19 letter "California teachers to flood Ohio," but then realized he seems totally serious when he states, “the more weapons that are available, the safer she will feel coming to work” and that a “flood of teachers will move from California…”

Corsini is referring to his daughter who is a teacher in California. I don’t know how an educated person can believe that more guns equals more safety! I have had relatives in law enforcement who would tell you that even the most trained officer does not always hit an intended target. And most citizens are not nearly as prepared.

More: Most Greater Columbus school districts aren't planning to arm teachers

As a grandparent and a former school employee, I can only imagine the carnage that would be created by multiple shooters — perpetrators and victims alike — all firing within the confined space of a classroom. The bottom line is that it would be the children who would be most at risk.

Teachers are charged with keeping their students safe, and keeping or using a gun in the classroom would be completely counter to that charge. I hope that this young woman remains in California!

Kitty Jones, Columbus

Armed teachers deserve combat pay

The Ohio Legislature’s pat answer to the killing of school children by arming teachers raises additional questions.

For instance, will teachers now get combat pay (I did in 1969); will they be liable to parents if they hit a child while providing cover fire for other teachers; or liable if they fail to adequately defend their school’s “hard spot” against an armed attacker; or lose their job if their weapon jams? Can they get merit raises for marksmanship training or advance infantry training taken online?

More: DeWine: It 'doesn’t make sense' to make teachers train 700 hour to carry gun in classes

These are all reasonable questions as I expect your normal 24- or 42-year-old elementary schoolteacher has probably not had a live-fire experience and probably needs some ”tightening up” in these areas.

More: Dayton Mom to DeWine: I stood there, cried and believed you. You've let us down on guns.

On the other hand,  the utter ignorance of the Republican position on arming teachers not only reflects poorly on the level of judgment and mental acuity of the legislators and their puppet “governor," it likewise reflects on the unthinking, knee-jerk Ohio electorate that supports them. Clearly, Ohio schools have failed to teach critical thinking or even common sense. Maybe they will do better with “fire and movement."

Ronald B. Noga, Columbus

'Wooden rulers' simplistic, irrelevant

Regarding the letter June 19 letter, "Wooden rulers instead of guns," is the author suggesting a teacher should go after a person armed with a gun with a ruler? Or is the author suggesting that allowing a teacher to hit children with a piece of wood will make them better adults?

More: First graders had access to gun meant to prevent school violence

Young children are being killed in their classrooms and instead of offering realistic solutions to a complex problem, we hear simplistic solutions that have nothing to do  with actually solving the problem of access to powerful weapons that can kill many children in seconds.

Reading that letter gave me a headache.

Brenda Chaney, Columbus

'When will the carnage cease?'

Lord, help us ... it's only been days since Ohio's new constitutional carry law went into effect and we've had 493 mass shootings, the dead are littering our streets everywhere, and 1,905 people have shot their eye out. Mayhem. Blood and guts. When will the carnage cease? Oh, the horror.

Oh, wait. None of that happened. My bad.

Jeff Jantz, Westerville

Mental health care hindered

There has been much talk about our country being in the midst of a mental health crisis. Even both Democrats and Republicans agree on the need for more access to mental health treatment.

More: ADAMH CEO: Crisis center will be alternative to 911 in mental health emergency

The latest edition of Psychiatric News (volume 57, number 6, June 2022) reports “Members report an uptick in plans' claims denials, scrutiny, and hassles.” Numerous ways of preventing patients from receiving care are then described. I will not bore you with the details, only to say they are similar to what I experienced during my almost 50 years of psychiatric practice.

More: Our children are lost in a violent world 'chipping away' at their mental health |Opinion

Of course, we need more mental health care! But we are not being allowed to deliver the care that is now available.

More: 'It's OK to not be OK.' Talking about stress erases stigma of seeking mental health help.

This chronic situation played a role in my decision to retire from seeing patients and teaching third year-residents at The Ohio State Medical School the technique involved in doing insight-oriented dynamic psychotherapy. ("Insight-oriented therapy is a type of psychodynamic therapy, which means that it focuses on the psychological factors that influence behavior. This approach has been around for over 100 years and has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of mental health conditions." ("Verywell Mind," January 2022)

Donald Goldberg, Columbus, MD, retired

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: Homeless people need affordable housing, support services