Raleigh protesters must understand and not disregard their impact on small businesses

Destroying property

Regarding “Raleigh police chief tells protester ‘all lives matter,’” (June 5):

I was interested to read that protester Kae Diaz said that “Black lives matter more than property.”

For a long time I have supported moves to better control and reform police and will continue to do so. However, I think Diaz may not understand the relationship between capital and labor. One cannot exist without the other. There are more than 27.9 million small businesses in this country. They generate about 50% of our gross domestic product. What happens when rioters destroy and loot one of these businesses? The owner and possibly founder will be out of business along with any employees. How will this help anyone?

I am a small investor in residential real estate. I can assure Diaz I won’t invest one cent in any municipality that has allowed unfettered looting and destruction of property.

Robert A. Williams, Oxford

Demilitarize police

The overriding difference between the peaceable outcomes of Durham’s rallies and those in other cities can be attributed to the exemplary behavior of those Durham police officers who understand that their job is two-fold: to protect the constitutional right of citizens to peacefully assemble and to see that no harm comes to them.

When police forces are armed with military-grade weapons and then ordered to attack non-violent demonstrators, the outcomes can never be good. When it is the president who issues such orders just to set up a photo op, it is intolerable.

Our police, National Guard, and all others sworn to uphold the law have the right – and responsibility – to refuse to treat peaceable citizens as criminals, “terrorists,” or any other label pinned on them for political gain. Their oath of duty requires no less.

President Trump must be removed from office, our police demilitarized and repurposed, and constitutional law reinstated and enforced if our nation is to survive this crisis.

Vicki Ryder, Durham

AG William Barr

While practicing their constitutionally guaranteed right to peacefully assemble and protest, a group of U.S. citizens protesting outside the White House were tear-gassed and forced to disperse. U.S. Attorney William Barr was present and ordered the perimeter expanded.

Barr is undeniably guilty of denying citizens of this country of their constitutional rights, violating his oath upon to uphold the Constitution. He has given just cause to be removed from office and be held accountable for his actions in a court of law. He’s a lawyer. He knows better. He just doesn’t care because he thinks he is above the law.

Ken Morgan, Chapel Hill

Stereotyping police

The demonstrators abhor being stereotyped in a negative way, but that is exactly what they have done with police officers. There are over 800,000 police officers in the United States. Out of the 800,000, there are bound to be some bad apples, but vast majority of police officers are there to serve everyone. We should appreciate these guardians of our freedoms.

Bill Jensen, Apex

Police brutality

I want to thank the N&O Editorial Board for “Police clashes show need to de-escalate” (June 5).

Protesting police brutality is indeed necessary and legitimate and must not be squelched with armed force. The culture of toughness that permeates law enforcement and is promoted by the highest office in the land must change. While changes in police tactics in Charlotte and Raleigh may give us hope, the election of a president who is capable of empathy with the disadvantaged, has the will to establish equal justice for all, and understands our system of divided powers is even more of a reason for hope.

Bill Grothmann, Raleigh

Black inmates

As I watched the protest regarding the George Floyd saga, I cried. It wasn’t the first time; it won’t be the last. But then I thought of all the black men in our prisons. They did not die on the streets. Let’s not forget them.

Brenda Buie Burnette, Durham

Tillis award

Sunday’s N&O included an ad from the Alliance for Patient Access announcing that Sen. Thom Tillis had earned its Champions of Patient Access award.

I urge voters to Google the organization’s name and read articles by the independent Nonprofit Quarterly. It says the Alliance gets most of its funding from drug companies. and describes it as an organization that consistently opposes measures to tame skyrocketing prescription drug costs.

To advance its agenda, the Alliance hands out Patient Access Champion awards to members of Congress for cooperating with them legislatively.

Whose interest does Tillis have at heart: the pharmaceutical industry or ours?

Cheryl Case, Raleigh