Thanks to the Sun-Times for bringing the Chicago Police Department’s latest lip-service to reform, its “positive interactions” program, to our attention. A majority of CPD employees should be assigned to neighborhood foot patrols, and a small number could be left to drive around, as available backup, if needed.
Officers on foot patrol will get to know the neighborhood and will be known by the neighborhood. The officers will learn who and where the bad actors are, and learn who and where the people are who are likely to need assistance. There is no other way to build trust, and to prevent crimes and tragedies — to serve and protect.
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Instead, police show up after the fact of a crime or tragedy and make a report. We could have clerical staff make reports. We don’t need the investment in a trained police force as it presently operates. And we definitely don’t need CPD’s latest lip service to reform, this obviously phony “positive community interactions” program.
Muriel Balla, Hyde Park
MacKenzie Scott’s giving
Congratulations to MacKenzie Scott for pledging to give away her fortune, realizing she could never reasonably spend it and there were important needs she could address.
The former wife of Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, has donated over $12 billion since 2020, but the rise in her shares of Amazon stock have been greater than her donations, putting her net worth around $49 billion.
Her largest gifts have been to Habitat for Humanity and Planned Parenthood. She has prioritized support for underrepresented people, giving to groups led by women, people of color and LGBTQ people. Her gifts also reflect her concern with climate change, education and, recently, Ukraine relief.
Scott’s humanitarianism stands in stark contrast to so many ultra-wealthy people who never seem to have enough. They have fancy 400-foot yachts and multiple luxury residences and make large political contributions to get lower taxes for themselves and their corporations, to oppose an increase in the minimum wage and unionization of workers, to sell more guns, to maintain the high price of prescription drugs, and to slow the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy even as the environment is on track to become inhospitable to human and other forms of life.
Maybe Scott’s example will inspire other wealthy people to think more about others and creating a better world and less about endless accumulation.
Richard Barsanti, Western Springs
