Raleigh protests are out of control. Mayor Baldwin must stand up and take charge.

Raleigh protests

Regarding “Downtown Raleigh businesses sustain $76,000 in damage during weekend protest,” (Sept. 29) and related articles:

The protests in downtown Raleigh are getting out of hand. It’s time for Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin to stand up and take control.

Set a curfew from dusk till dawn and enforce it. Also quit handcuffing the police force. Let them take what ever measures are necessary to take control and stop the vandalism.

I am sure the business owners are completely frustrated with the damage and the lack of help from the City of Raleigh. I am in favor of peaceful protest, but this wanton vandalism and destruction needs to stop. Baldwin needs to take back control of her/our city. I for one have stopped going to downtown Raleigh and won’t go back until the city takes back control.

Bob LeBowsky, Cary

Reopening schools

I don’t think all voices in the school reopening debate are being heard. Teachers are huge stakeholders in this and are being totally disregarded.

I am a Wake County school teacher and I, for one, am scared to death at the prospect of children returning to in person learning. We are just hitting our stride with remote teaching/learning and the thought of disrupting everybody’s routine is mind-boggling.

When Gov. Roy Cooper’s campaign commercial says that no North Carolina family should live in fear, is he thinking about my family?

Fran Cameron, Raleigh

A uniform set of rules

Schools in North Carolina should reopen based on one uniform set of rules.

We are seeing Wake County begin to reopen in-person learning for K-8 students. We are seeing Orange County wait until January 2021 for all except special needs and pre-K. We’ll see other districts do different things. This is crazy.

There should be one set of medically recommended COVID-related standards, and when North Carolina hits those standards in a given county, all schools should re-open the same way.

The governor is allowing everything else to reopen that way — bars, amusement parks, salons. Not doing it for schools is unfair and illogical. Our society should not be reopening bars before public schools.

Natasha Goldstein, Chapel Hill

NC students, reading

Regarding “Leandro judge says poor reading instruction, not money, is holding back many NC students,” (Oct. 1 Opinion):

Former former Superior Court Judge Howard E. Manning Jr. is right to call out the education establishment to make reading proficiency by third grade the target for all students.

Urgent conversations are needed in every school, community, and at the state level. Key questions must be addressed, like how does a rigorous system of learning for teachers align with research and success in other countries, and how best to marshal an intense early childhood reading program for all parents.

Excellent teaching backed by highly focused school leaders alone will not get the job done. Communities must also be mobilized. Highly focused training for volunteers to support the hard work of classroom teachers can provide more individualized support. Deep community engagement that is aligned with great teaching and better parental support will make achievement of this target possible.

Manning’s call to action should be heeded.

Tony Habit, Chapel Hill

Refuse to debate

Joe Biden should refuse to engage Donald Trump in another so-called debate. It’s obvious from the first debate that Trump is unwilling, if not incapable, of adhering to the ground rules he agreed to. His “strategy” is to talk over Biden throughout in a seeming attempt to intimidate him. This will not change in another meeting between the two, even if Trump’s microphone is turned off.

Trump is who he is, which is to say he is unfit to be called an adult, let alone president of the United States.

Ken Shugart, Pittsboro

Competent leaders

Politically, my husband and I disagree on many things, starting with how close to home and how far away to focus our attention. Thanks to this year’s presidential debate, we now agree: The Republican and Democratic parties are incapable of nominating competent candidates.

Though we’ll have to cast painful votes this year, we hope the two parties will take a close look at their systems for selecting candidates and find new ways of lifting up good people. The first debate should have convinced Americans that the negative strategies of the past have left us empty-handed for leaders worthy of following.

Carol Frey, Raleigh

Debate rules

The only rules change the presidential debate commission should consider is the addition of a little red timeout chair.

Allan Thunes, Apex