Overhaul of juvenile detention system long overdue | Letters

Thank you to the USA Today Network of Ohio newspapers for your in-depth investigation of Ohio’s juvenile lock-ups and juvenile justice system. I appreciate your focusing on the damage the system does to the juveniles swept up in the system and their families, rather than demonizing them. I am writing as a board member of the Juvenile Justice Coalition as well as someone who previously worked in the system and in community-based programs.

Our organization, the Juvenile Justice Coalition, has been advocating for juvenile justice reform in Ohio for 30 years − visiting youth in DYS facilities/county detention centers; working with DYS administrators and juvenile judges/ county administrators; educating the public about the issues; collaborating with other organizations to bring about change. We have seen the impact of the issues that you have identified in your articles and have had varying degrees of success in addressing them.

We know that community-based programs can be effective, as identified in your articles. Ohio continues to throw away our children by putting them in dangerous prisons and lockups. I hope that your shining a light on the abuses of the system will bring about real and long-term improvements. Ohioans must demand no less. Unless this happens, our children, families and communities will continue to be harmed.

I urge Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly to do more to change Ohio’s dangerous juvenile prisons and to invest in community-based alternatives that have been proven to work. I also think that the governor must add include more diversity of perspectives to the commission he created (such as juvenile defenders, parents, youth who have been in the system) so that we can identify and change the issues that led to these exposes.

Sharon Weitzenhof, Bath, Ohio

Has common courtesy left Cincinnati City Hall?

Cincinnati City Council members claim the culture is changing at City Hall. Recently, the city manager released a draft "plan" to improve community engagement. A good first step should focus on changing the culture that makes it acceptable to not return phone calls even after multiple attempts. Emails are no better.

I can say from personal experience this happens at all levels from the mayor and City Council’s offices to the city manager and members of the administration. There are also those offices where you always seem to get a recording, never a live person, and no return calls. After a while, you wonder if they really work there.

In today’s vernacular, this might this be considered a form of ghosting. Cincinnati citizens whose taxes pay the salaries of city employees and elected officials deserve better. Most fruitful engagement begins with good communication. Current behaviors are simply rude and certainly disrespectful. It is routinely a subject of discussion among those of us who try to engage with City Hall.

Is it too much trouble to follow rules of common courtesy? Do city employees need written guidelines around phone/email etiquette? Is this what we should continue to expect from our servant leaders?

Sue Wilke, Northside

If a baby in the mother's womb isn't safe, no one is

Viewing the photo on the front page of the Nov. 9 Enquirer of all those who were jubilant over the passing of Issue 1 and thinking of the tragic news that dominates the headlines, I am reminded of Mother Theresa’s quote: "If the child is not safe in the mother’s womb, no one is safe."

Barbara Trauth, Hyde Park

Loss of control over others is hard

The Enquirer photos that accompanied the election result on Issue 1 were revealing. The two showing the "Yes" supporters were full of women and a few smiling men celebrating having retained the right to making their own private medical decisions with their doctors. The two showing the "No" supporters were of men engaged with their phones or consoling one another, with a couple of women in the far background. Loss of control over others is hard I guess.

Suellyn Shupe, East Price Hill

Glad to be human and not an acorn

Regarding a recent letter to the editor comparing a fertilized egg to an acorn: I am glad I am a human being and not an acorn. An acorn falls from the oak tree and lays there. If lucky, it's not eaten by squirrel. If it survives the winter, the acorn still needs good soil, rain and sunshine. If the acorn does sprout, it is so small, a hiker can smash it as he walks the trail. The oak tree from which it fell, cares nothing about the survival of that acorn.

This is quite different from the fertilized egg which starts growing within the mother’s womb. Inside the uterus, growth and development begins immediately. The mother’s uterus is a safe haven for this human being to develop until such time as he/she can live outside of the uterus. The fertilized egg carries all the DNA needed to create a unique person.

I am glad my mother didn’t consider me an acorn. What about you?

Kathryn Lawrence, Green Township

Theatre, music scene help make Cincinnati best place to live

We were overjoyed to read about Cincinnati's best-in-Ohio ranking. While we heartily agree to the many great things cited in the article that Cincinnati has to offer, we would also like to mention the city's great theatre and music scene. As patrons and participants in local theatre and longtime Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra subscribers, we feel blessed to live in an area with such a thriving arts scene. (And this isn't even mentioning public radio stations WGUC and WVXU.)

Jim and Lee Anne Waldfogle, Cherry Grove

Bengals record against AFC North opponents is troubling

The Bengals have had a rough year with quarterback Joe Burrow being hurt most of it, but a real problem exists and it's concerning the Bengals coaching preparation for AFC divisional games. Since Zac Taylor took over (this is his 5th year) the Bengals are like 9-19 against Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

The last two Super Bowl runs, the Bengals (counting postseason) were 27-13, but only 8-5 against AFC North teams. Two of those wins were against the Ravens (without Lamar Jackson), and also in the playoff game against Baltimore, we won because of the miracle Sam Hubbard play.

Jackson is 8-1 against Cincinnati. The Browns have had our number for years, no matter who their quarterback is, and the Steelers are down trying to find Ben Roethlisberger's replacement but still beat us sometimes. This lack of success against AFC North teams is troubling, especially with how physical that division is.

Burrow will not survive another three years if the Bengals' coaches don't change something against these teams. It's six beatings a year on our premier quarterback and needs addressed immediately.

Lee Eyerman, Amelia

Hathaway's leaves but Red Fox Grill remains

Reading the end-of-the-line article about Hathaway's Diner made me think of another downtown icon, Red Fox Grill. I have traveled to every state and eaten in all kinds of places. I have yet to eat a better ham and cheese double decker anywhere. And the soup isn’t bad either.  At Sixth and Sycamore streets, it’s been there for over 50 years and is now operated by the two sons of the original owners. Service with a smile and fast turn around is the order of the day, to go with many sandwich choices. I go out of my way to pickup or eat-in one of their excellent stacked-high deli sandwiches. Makes me hungry just thinking about the place. Hope it’s there for another 50 years.

Bob McElroy, Anderson Township

Doesn't hurt to mention God every so often

Guest columnist Robert Rack went a little overboard in his column ("Religion, authoritarianism in government a frightening mix") when he implied that the new Speaker of the House was acting as an authoritarian when he mixed some religion into his comments recently. I'm sure Speaker Mike Johnson knows that the Constitution was designed to separate church and state, but he also knows that "God" was mentioned five times in the Declaration of Independence. So, relax Mr. Rack. With what's going on in our country and the world today, how can it hurt to mention God every so often, even in a political context.

Robert Bishop, Edgewood, Ky.

Women's health issues should never be on the ballot

In response to the Nov. 17 editorial "There are plenty of ways to avoid unwanted pregnancies," I would like to educate the writer. Issue 1 was about having women's health care available − assessment, physical exams, contraceptives, miscarriages and other areas necessary for reproductive health. The previous law prohibited abortions after six weeks. One probably wouldn't detect a pregnancy at that time. Women's health issues should never be on a ballot or decided by men in Washington, D.C. This should be a discussion between a woman and her physician. You don't see men's reproductive health issues on the docket.

Denise A. Rocklin, New Richmond

A bet is a bet regardless of Burrow's pre-game status

Barstool Sports founder and owner Dave Portnoy says he is filing a class-action lawsuit against the Cincinnati Bengals and NFL because of a $120,000 bet he placed on the Bengals and lost due to Joe Burrow’s pre-game health status.

A bet is a bet. A chance. A non-guaranteed prospect to make money. It is not a certified investment.No one should become angry at anyone but themselves over a betting loss unless "the fix was in." If that is the case, then there are bigger problems than Burrow’s pre-game health status. The NFL and team owners should have anticipated this situation. Now what?

Deborah Kincaid, Symmes Township

Critique of recycling program ignores facts, logic

The Nov. 19 letter to the editor, "Rumpke recycling program moving in the wrong direction," is another example of a leftist not letting facts and logic get in the way of what she wants to believe. A car that gets 25 miles per gallon, using $3.25 per gallon of gas, will use 13 cents worth of gas per mile. If the Cincinnati Recycling Center is just two miles away, the four-mile round trip will cost 52 cents in gas alone. This ignores the full cost of car ownership, close to 60 cents per mile. It will also emit CO2 and other pollutants. And, the first Rumpke bag is free. Leads one to suspect that the real reason she sent the letter is to use terms like "equity concerns."

William Rettig, Sharonville

Companies with eyes on the future, not fossil fuels

I read an article in the Nov. 18 Enquirer about Amazon investing in three more solar farms in Ohio to power its operations and bring new sources of clean energy to the communities where their customers live and work. Amazon has committed to 100% renewable by 2025.

Walmart is on a similar path but at a slower pace with a goal of 100% renewable by 2040. But the economic and health benefits will be seen and felt as they progress toward this goal.

The CEOs of these companies have their eyes on the future and it is not with fossil fuels. They can see the economic benefits of renewable energy and are well-informed on the negative impact of fossil fuels on our climate, their customers and their business.

I urge other business owners in the Tristate to move in the same direction if feasible to stay competitive and to minimize the environmental damage of climate change.

Business leaders and individuals need to ask their representatives and senators to agree to legislation to develop more infrastructure for the storage and transmission of these increasingly new clean sources of energy.

Janet Hackman, Highland Heights

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Overhaul of juvenile detention system long overdue | Letters