Letters to the Editor (April 1)

Appreciation for help

Editor:

On behalf of the Rio Communities Optimist Club , I would like to thank the Catholic Daughters and the Junior Catholic Daughters for volunteering to assist with the Sock distribution event on Feb. 6.

The Catholic Daughters’ positive attitude and helpfulness made this a pleasant event. A special thanks to our chairwoman Deborah Benavidez for coordinating this project; great job.

The RC Optimist Club is thankful for all the generous contributions and donations from businesses and individuals throughout the community. We collected approximately 2,200 pairs of socks and will continue to distribute them to all the Belen elementary school children.

Marilyn Winters

President, Rio Communities Optimist Club

Remembering when

Editor:

Thank you News-Bulletin! I just spent a wonderful hour reading and re-reading your article on New Mexico dance halls.

I relived the years from 1959 through 1964. My only dance hall memory is from Tabet’s Hall in Belen. All week was spent trying to work out transportation, our wardrobe and hoping that there were lots of dance partners. Sure wish these times as simple.

It was fun pretending to be age 16-19 instead of 75! Oh my! Thanks again!

Diane Artiaga

Los Lunas

Proposed laws needed

Editor:

As a retired teacher, I get the frustration of local law enforcement personnel with legislators who want to make laws to tell them how to do their job in detail. I empathize with their feeling that the proposed legislation coming out of Santa Fe is “out of touch” with law enforcement today. (Teachers felt the same way about former Education Secretary Hannah Skandera.)

But, as a citizen, I do see the value in having guidelines and standards for our whole state to make sure we don’t fall victim to bad policing policies like stop and frisk, racial profiling, no-knock warrants, excessive force and shooting people waving knives.

Granted, specifying the exact number of seconds before police can enter after knocking is maybe a bit too specific, but is it overreach to try to set standards for reporting officer interactions that result in injury or death, for executing search warrants, for using military-type equipment, for handling mental illness threats?

Is it really “disarming” law enforcement officers to require that a search warrant specify a need for assault rifles, submachine guns and grenades?

To me, “defunding” the police should have been termed “re-funding” the departments to include many more officers trained in de-escalating techniques for handling individuals who have mental illness issues posing a threat to themselves and others.

For the reform laws to come out of Santa Fe without funding for such training is not acceptable, but it is appropriate for our legislators to put into law a clarification of how best we want to be protected and served, so justice exists for all.

Janet Yates

Los Lunas