Opinion/Letters: Newport's action on crosswalk misses the point

City's action on crosswalk misses the point

Thank you for your front-page coverage of the city’s year-long failure to address public safety issues on Harrison Avenue. In the face of baffling inaction, a concerned neighbor apparently took matters into his own hands and repainted an existing crosswalk at the intersection of Harrison and Roseneath. It was certainly newsworthy to report the city’s neglect of the issue and Tom Shevlin’s admission, on behalf of the city, that more can “absolutely” be done to address the situation. One wonders why it has taken over a year to do nothing when it took only days for the city to send out a crew to remove the re-painted crosswalk and send out the police to investigate what appears to be the city’s “Crime of the Century.”

Whenever taxpaying citizens use all existing channels to bring to the city’s attention a dangerous situation and the city fails to develop and implement mechanisms to solve the problem, the city has failed its most basic duty to secure and ensure public safety. In such a case, the focus and full force of authority should not descend on some frustrated and well-meaning, if ineffective, efforts of a citizen to highlight an existing crosswalk in the absence of city solutions. Nor should the city respond by sending Newport Police into the neighborhood to bully residents into disclosing the identity of the person who made this effort, as has happened. Rather, the focus should be on the embarrassing failure of the City itself to act in a timely manner and assess what meaningful steps the city will be taking to solve the problem.

In this case, although not reported in your story, residents of the area state that, for over a year, they have expressed to the city their concerns that the intersection at issue has become unacceptably dangerous for pedestrians. Not only is foot traffic heavy in the neighborhood, but daily pedestrian use of the area is necessitated by, among other things, a public mailbox and a school bus stop positioned in the intersection. Residents have also reported on the multitude of cars that regularly exceed the speed limit in that area, as well as cars that routinely run the stop sign at that intersection, of which the city is well aware, as evidenced by the frequent positioning of police cars monitoring that stop sign from Roseneath.

The city is also well aware that this situation arose in the past when it opted to move a stop sign at that intersection without repositioning the crosswalk that it knew had been put there for good reason. Instead, the city allowed it to “disappear.” On April 11, the city took action to actively erase the repainted crosswalk, thereby reinstating a different dangerous situation which it has chosen to ignore for over a year despite past citizen complaints, official input and out and out frustration. After a year of inaction, it was astounding to see the speed with which the city could react to someone else’s taking action. Maybe the city is capable of taking other quick action to fix an extant, dangerous situation. One can only hope that, as a result of your reporting, it will follow up on the speedy erasure with a speedy, effective solution.

Christopher Byrne, Newport

What was once a grand party is no longer that

I am writing in response to the April 8 letter titled "Trump indictment a 'grotesque perversion of justice." The author is a frequent writer to the editor. He over and over again exhibits the extreme right wing views of many Trump followers. Using phrases such as 'make no mistake about it', 'liberal media', 'greatest threat to our democracy, and 'darkest days" is' an obvious Trump mimic. The writer sounds like a programmed cult member.

The reality is a grand jury of citizens reviewed evidence and decided sufficient concern exists to warrant an indictment. Keep in mind the alleged crime involved illegal payments to a stripper during a presidential election - payments meant to silence bad news which would affect that election. Legal due process is in progress and the Trump world is in full damage control. The sad result is threats of violence and death pointed at the prosecuting attorneys - again a cult-like behavior. Deprogramming required!

Trump and his media enablers (aka Fox TV) have successfully programmed many people to believe anything they say. A broader look at information sources is needed by this Trump world to see a more balanced reality. The country is gradually rejecting this extremism but what was once a grand party is no longer that, but simply a Trump cult. As an independent, I anxiously wait for real Republicans to take back the party, if there are any left.

John Greichen Jr., Newport

Gun club restrictions seem pointless

I am not in favor of House Bill 5367. (A bill to disallow gun clubs to be within a mile of a grade school K-12)

I fail to understand how it will ensure the health and safety of school age children.

Many gun clubs have youth programs that instruct children, mostly teenagers, on the subject of gun safety.

Newport Rifle Club is one of them.

In the 150 years of its existence, there have been no incidents regarding gun mishaps involving adults or children.

In researching the internet, I failed to find any reports regarding misdirected bullets from a gun club impeding the safety of children at a nearby school.

Interesting fact, when my husband was a student at Middletown High School many years ago, he was in a school-based gun club.

The gun club’s yearbook picture was taken in the school with guns in hand.

Personally, I feel that a bill sponsoring gun safety instruction in schools covering issues including but not limited to: what to do if you find a gun, what to do if a friend wants you to play with one, what do you do if a friend brings one to school, a gun is not a toy, etc. given by school resource officers would be more meaningful and beneficial to a child's health and safety than HB5367.

Audrey MacLeod Pfeiffer, Middletown

St. John’s Lodge Food Bank is here to help

Your guest editorial, “Nutrition cannot be a luxury. Let’s unite to help feed America” (April 8), highlighted a very real need among the food-insecure members of our community: Recent cuts to SNAP and other government programs mean more of our neighbors are finding it difficult to feed themselves and their families.

This is reflected in the records we keep at the St. John’s Lodge Food Bank in Portsmouth, which show a significant increase in visitors since the COVID-related benefits increase ended on March 1. Over the past few weeks, our volunteers have spoken to many visitors who say that, for the first time, they have been compelled to seek assistance in feeding themselves and their families.

If you find yourself in need of help, we encourage you to stop by the food bank, located at 81 Sprague St. in Portsmouth, during operating hours on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Simply follow the signs, remain in your car, and a volunteer will come out to assist you.

If you are in a position to help serve this growing need, your assistance is greatly appreciated. Financial donations can now be made through our webpage, stjohnslodgeno1.org/foodbank, on a one-time or monthly basis. Contributions of food and cash can also be made in person by stopping by the food bank during operating hours. Lists of needed food products can be found on our webpage and our Facebook page.

Whatever your circumstances, we look forward to seeing you. As we often remind our grateful patrons, we’re all in this together.

Mary Anne Crittenden, president St. John’s Lodge Food Bank, Portsmouth

Legally owned firearms prevent crime and save lives

Rhode Island's General Assembly is about to consider a number of bills that can make you and your family less safe. These bills will restrict your firearms ownership, while doing nothing to keep guns out of the hands of those committing violent crimes.

According to CDC and FBI statistics, more than 95% of gun crimes are committed with criminally possessed firearms. Criminals pay no attention to laws. So how does it make anyone safer by enacting more gun laws that criminals will ignore but that make it more difficult for Rhode Islanders who choose to protect themselves and their families with legally owned firearms to do so?

Legally owned firearms prevent crime and save lives. Multiple CDC studies find that defensive uses of firearms by crime victims are far more common than offensive uses by criminal offenders.

Most of the gun control advocates' claims are false. “Information” from Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence and Moms Demand Action, comes from Everytown, Violence Policy Center, Southern Poverty Law Center, Giffords, Brady and the like is mostly not true. These are propaganda factories created to support the gun control agenda. Accurate firearm information is available from reputable sources like the FBI, DOJ and CDC websites.

Reducing gun violence can not be achieved by passing laws that restrict people who are not causing it, those who own firearms legally. This puts good people at a dangerous disadvantage against better armed criminals. Going after people who own firearms legally is a simplistic and ultimately ineffective response to gun violence, which has multiple societal causes.

Firearms are not the problem. The problem is keeping them out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them.

Before our General Assembly votes for more firearms restrictions, tell your legislators not to support more gun control that will make you and your family less safe.

The names and contact information for your legislators can be found at www. sos.ri.gov or by calling your municipality canvasing office. Be sure to include the two politicians who control everything that comes out of the Statehouse: Rep. K. Joseph Shekarchi Speaker of the House, rep-shekarchi@rilegislature.govand Sen. Dominick J. Ruggerio President of the Senate, sen-ruggerio@rilegislature.gov.

Your life could depend on stopping these misguided bills.

David Huth, Portsmouth

Don't take guns from law-abiding citizens

It is sad to see what is happening in this world. Mass shootings.

We need to go after these people. But stricter gun control laws do not work. Criminals will get the firearms illegally.

I find it hard to believe that people just don't understand that the places with stricter gun control laws have the highest crime rate. And there are those out there who are quoting case law that they know nothing about.

Taking guns away from law-abiding citizens. Read the history. In 1929 the former Soviet Union established gun control, and as a result Stalin's government killed 40 million Soviets.

In 1931 Germany's Weimar Republic opted for gun registration. Law-abiding citizens complied with the law, but those committing acts of political violence did not. Weimar authorities discovered a plan for a Nazi takeover that those refusing to surrender their guns within 24 hours would be executed. It is said that in 1933 Adolf Hitler used records to identify and disarm political opponents. It goes on and on.

Is this what our country needs? No.

Debra Murphy, Jamestown

Second Amendment is clear

Well, it's that time of the year and they're trying to infringe on our gun rights again.

To me, this is a very simple matter. Boils down to the Constitution.

In 1790 or so our founders got together and drew up thirteen Amendments. Ten were ultimately passed and approved by the states. The Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791.

The Second Amendment reads:

"A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

One sentence, three commas. It seems very straightforward and understandable to me. And it's right there on top, number two.

By the way, to anyone that's bothered to read the first 10 amendments one thing will stand out. The first three were not wordy. Direct and to the point. In other words there was very little discussion as to their importance.

As for the second, our founding fathers felt very strongly about a strong central government that could go rogue. They had, after all, just won a revolution against a tyrannical king and wanted to make sure that for the people's protection, their right to gather in a militia, and to fully arm themselves, was not infringed. No mention anywhere of the types of arms they were allowed to bear. And there were some pretty deadly weapons in the 1790s.

So as our legislators are gathering in Providence I would ask them to consider our founders intentions as you debate infringing our rights. There's a reason for the amendment. Human history is filled with them.

Question is, if the legislature is willing to blow off the second amendment, which of the others is fair game, which is next? The first? If you don't like the press you're receiving, shut down the newspaper? If you don't like the Jews, the Catholics, the Protestants, well just close those churches or synagogues? The sixth? Don't like that person or group of people, well just put them in jail and throw away the key. Where does ignoring our constitution end?

There's a procedure, made purposely difficult, for amending the Constitution. Rather than infringe our rights, take section 1 of the 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18^th Amendment that mandated the prohibition of alcohol. Insert the word Second instead and submit it to Congress and the states for ratification.

That's the way it should be done.

Ken Kossak, Portsmouth

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Newport's action on crosswalk misses the point: Letters to the editor