Killing Riley was wrong…

Dear Editor,

About the police killing of a pregnant Jeanetta Riley, Mayor Carrie Logan stated “The initial public response… was mixed with a vocal minority being very critical of the police.” She goes on to say “Once the investigation had been completed and we were able to fully release the information, there has been a lot of support for the Sandpoint Police Dept. with continued criticism by a vocal minority.”

The implication Mayor Logan is obviously making (with her use of the word “vocal minority”) is: because they are a “vocal minority” they do not support the police and are wrong in their criticism.

There was a “vocal minority” in the Confederacy who spoke out against slavery before the Civil War and there was a “vocal minority” in the south who spoke out against segregation in the 1950s and 60s. I would ask Mayor Logan, “Were these “vocal minorities” wrong in your mind too?”

Over the past year I have heard from several sources that many people are afraid to speak out against this police killing of Jeanetta Riley or attend the memorial services held for her and her unborn child.

Why are so many in Sandpoint afraid of the authorities? Fear is a very good way to keep the “vocal minority” a “vocal minority”, isn’t it Madam Mayor?

By the way Madam Mayor, being I am one of those you refer to as the “vocal minority”, and despite your implication, I do support the police. I just don’t support what was the unnecessary killing of a pregnant Jeanetta Riley.
Lee Santa

Sandpoint

While we have you ...

... if you appreciate that access to the news, opinion, humor, entertainment and cultural reporting in the Sandpoint Reader is freely available in our print newspaper as well as here on our website, we have a favor to ask. The Reader is locally owned and free of the large corporate, big-money influence that affects so much of the media today. We're supported entirely by our valued advertisers and readers. We're committed to continued free access to our paper and our website here with NO PAYWALL - period. But of course, it does cost money to produce the Reader. If you're a reader who appreciates the value of an independent, local news source, we hope you'll consider a voluntary contribution. You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.

You can contribute at either Paypal or Patreon.

Contribute at Patreon Contribute at Paypal

You may also like...

Close [x]

Want to support independent local journalism?

The Sandpoint Reader is our town's local, independent weekly newspaper. "Independent" means that the Reader is locally owned, in a partnership between Publisher Ben Olson and Keokee Co. Publishing, the media company owned by Chris Bessler that also publishes Sandpoint Magazine and Sandpoint Online. Sandpoint Reader LLC is a completely independent business unit; no big newspaper group or corporate conglomerate or billionaire owner dictates our editorial policy. And we want the news, opinion and lifestyle stories we report to be freely available to all interested readers - so unlike many other newspapers and media websites, we have NO PAYWALL on our website. The Reader relies wholly on the support of our valued advertisers, as well as readers who voluntarily contribute. Want to ensure that local, independent journalism survives in our town? You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.