Letters to the Editor

Police brutality not an isolated incident

As columnist Katie Strickland stated, the scene that took place in MacArthur Park on May 2 was indeed a scene of police brutality (“Next time, stay away from the bright yellow numbers,” May 9).

However, it is interesting to see what came out of it because journalists were also victims of the brutality, and the images of the police department’s abuse of power had a great impact on our society.

With great respect, I want to thank those journalists who take their job seriously and prioritize us as humans ““ not just as Americans, as a social class or as a special-interest group.

Furthermore, this is obviously not the first time that police brutality has occurred.

And because not enough of us are doing something to hold the police accountable for their actions, it will continue to happen.

It will take more than lawsuits, taking away ranks, getting the FBI involved in an independent investigation or getting rid of the chief of police to stop this behavior.

As a historian and as an indigenous person of North America, I can tell you that an initial purpose of the police was to “keep the peace” and “serve and protect” the new order of things after my ancestors were treated brutally.

Disciplinary action will be like putting a Band-Aid on a bigger problem: the illegal occupation of this land by foreigners (Europeans) and the oppression that comes out of that occupation.

Immigration to this nation is not a new concept. Unless your roots are somewhere in this hemisphere more than 250 years back, you are most likely the descendent of immigrants yourself.

As American Indians, we are native to this continent and therefore not immigrants to this land. We have been here for thousands of years.

We may not have the documents that the U.S. requires of us, but we have something that has more moral and legal value: the bones of our ancestors all across this hemisphere.

So when debating about immigration, make sure you go beyond saying, “People come for opportunities and a better life.”

That is true, but you must also look at the distant but relevant history in this land.

The land that you call “America” has a different name: Turtle Island.

Eduardo Aguilar,

Graduate student,

American Indian studies

Without freedom, honor means nothing

I was disturbed and saddened by Mark Ching’s letter to the editor on Thursday (“Spring Sing costume highly offensive,” May 10).

While I agree that our men and women in uniform ought to be respected and honored, I find it appalling that Ching would deride our constitutional right to preserve that honor.

Ching writes that “making a statement” by wearing a military uniform is “pathetic.” I find this debasement of free expression far more shameful and dishonorable than the band member’s transgression.

As a member of the armed forces, Ching should hold the rights of the citizens above the symbolism of a uniform.

He would do well to remember that, without those rights, the uniform would mean nothing.

I suggest that if Ching truly thinks the “honor” of himself and other soldiers outweighs the rights of the people to express themselves freely, he should reevaluate his reasons for enlisting.

Matthew Sperry

Second-year, computer science

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