6/26 Letters: Racial injustice in America must come to an end

Regarding “Minnesota police officer found not guilty in shooting death of Philando Castile” (June 17): With every new verdict passed down finding an officer not guilty of unnecessarily killing a person of color, my heart grows heavier and heavier for minority groups in America.

As a woman most would consider “white” upon first glance, I am growing terrified for my biracial daughters, who I have raised to respect, admire and obey the police (just as I would have had they not been biracial).

While writing is my passion, I am at a loss as how to start a constructive discourse in these volatile times. What I do know is that if Americans do not start having open and honest discussions about their perceptions and misconceptions on race (from all sides), America will become an even more dangerously divided country.

While not a fan of President Donald Trump by any means, and certainly not a fan of the NRA, I am reaching out now to ask the president’s supporters and members of the NRA to stand up and speak out against racial injustice in all its forms, not just when it turns deadly. That’s not politics; that’s simple human decency.

Solar bill bad deal

Regarding “Residents could get rooftop solar option” (June 7): Duke Energy and legislative leaders sold North Carolina a bag of beans with the Competitive Energy Solutions bill.

Hyped as a consensus bill, House Bill 589 was actually negotiated behind closed doors (environmental groups were shut out) then fast-tracked for approval without public input.

While possibly providing a short-term, limited boost to a few large-scale solar producers, this bill will further damage North Carolina’s rooftop solar industry and protect Duke’s monopoly against competition. The key selling point, that the measure will open rooftop solar leasing, is deceptive and hollow.

Already allowed by state law, leasing rarely works for solar companies or customers. A similar, competitive practice that does work for many of them, third-party sales, would be killed by the bill.

Even worse, the bill allows Duke Energy to attack rooftop solar by adding fees to customers and lowering net-metering payments. Duke would decide when and how much power it will purchase from large-scale solar producers, bid against them for projects and offer less favorable contract terms.

The full price of an installed system now runs $10,000 to $15,000 for the average home, a great deal for those able to afford it. Lawmakers of both parties should agree that North Carolinians deserve democratic state policy making, not backroom deals followed by deceptive publicity.

This story was originally published June 25, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "6/26 Letters: Racial injustice in America must come to an end."