Was Ralph Yarl’s shooter just afraid of Black people? That’s the elephant in the room | Opinion
Fight the fear
Besides the fact that it should never have happened and we feel sorry for Ralph Yarl, and think his shooter should be punished, the bottom line is that the accused man appears to be afraid of Black people. This is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. I imagine the man’s family probably moved to Clay County to get away from Kansas City, like a lot of folks did in the 1960s and ‘70s.
We can’t fix this problem until we change this perception of fear. You have the ear of the people. Do what you can.
I was raised in Kansas City, but I’m not as proud of it as I once was.
- Kirk Tucker, Macks Creek, Missouri
Missed opportunity
Stacey Graves, Kansas City’s new police chief, blew a chance to build community trust when she issued a nonsense reason for delaying charges in the Ralph Yarl shooting: Police had to wait for a statement from the victim. (April 22, 1A, “Parson accuses Biden of politicizing Yarl shooting”)
Really? How does that work in cases when the victim is dead?
- Ken Nelson, Kansas City
For children
The child tax credit should be expanded to make a difference in the lives of young single mothers. Many of them work two jobs to make ends meet but still struggle to meet basic needs. Notwithstanding their best efforts, they must decide which expenses to prioritize monthly.
These moms, like many working-class Americans, are between a rock and a hard place in managing resources to support their children. These families could benefit from an expanded CTC. While the current CTC has helped keep many Americans above the poverty line, millions of families are still in the cold. In Missouri, 34% of children living in rural areas are ineligible for the full CTC, compared with 27% of children statewide.
Therefore, I urge members of Congress, including Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, to work across the aisle in expanding the child tax credit to support working-class families and reduce child poverty.
- Kolawole Arowoogun, Rolla
Legalizing hate
If operatives with the Independent Women’s Forum — the outside organization meddling in Kansas politics to pass draconian anti-transgender legislation — truly cared about which restrooms people use, they would include legal protections for the men and women who would be forced to use facilities for the gender opposite from how they live and present themselves.
There are proportionally far more sexual assaults on trans people than on cisgender people in any setting. And when transgender and gender-nonbinary teens are prevented from using restrooms that match their gender identities, they are at even greater risk of sexual assault.
The legislation that Gov. Laura Kelly rightly vetoed would force the tiny minority of transgender Kansans to choose between complying with the law and placing themselves at physical risk. This must fail.
The ironically named “women’s bill of rights” is nothing more than hate with a PR budget.
- Tepring Crocker, Overland Park
Keep perspective
In the last few weeks, The Kansas City Star has covered a 15-year-old who killed another teenager in a middle school bathroom, a man shot and killed while traveling on Interstate 70 near Oak Grove, and now a teen shot after going to the wrong home. Another story last fall concerned a firefighter shot in the back by the girlfriend of a convicted felon who pulled a gun.
It is worth remembering that criminal charges and plea deals are at the discretion of a prosecutor, not the victim’s family. If charges are filed, they are accusations, not evidence of a crime. And the accused, no matter who they are, have a right to counsel and a presumption of innocence until proved guilty.
In my view, it is also worth remembering that the court of public opinion, while essential, must not become the court of law.
- Clyde Waltermate, Raytown
