Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to le*****@oc******.com, or send to Letters to the Editor, c/o OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Or fax to (714) 550-5908.
DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR ASHLEY MACDONALD, PT. 1
I just read your article and am disappointed in our police force [Nick Schou's “Shoot First, Ask No Questions Later,” Sept. 8]. I remember reading that article when it came out about the HBPD who shot that girl in that park, and I think it is ridiculous!! They did not need deadly force to stop some young goth chick. I am a former Marine who just got out and our police have no discretion in knowing the difference between necessary and unnecessary force. Our cops here are hell-bent on shooting for no reason. Are they cops for no reason, or are they scared? It just makes me very angry to read about this and then hear how they get away with it. Sorry but had to vent.
Nick
Via e-mail
DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR ASHLEY MACDONALD, PT. 2
Thank you for your article. The Orange County Register gave only the police viewpoint and only token incomplete quotes of neighbors, friends and family that did not in any way convey the pain and anger over this injustice. They tried to portray Ashley as some weird loner who somehow deserved to get shot. The two policemen who fired 18 bullets at this teenager need to be brought to justice. Your article gives me hope the truth will be told.
Christine Davis
Via e-mail
DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR ASHLEY MACDONALD, PT. 3
I enjoyed reading your piece on the Ashley MacDonald tragedy. After reading the original story last week in the HB Independent, I wrote the reporter to ask why the police couldn't have used other non-lethal methods to subdue the girl, like their batons. These two or three big guys clad in their bulletproof vests, which I'm sure offered sufficient protection against a little knife, couldn't subdue an 18-year-old, 120-pound waif? Later in the story, I found out that the girl was 10 feet away from the officers when she “lunged” at them. They couldn't back up to keep the distance? Didn't they surround her? If she lunged at one officer, couldn't the other come up behind her or from the side and knock her to the ground? Couldn't they have taken a blanket from the car and thrown that over her? Don't all officers receive training to subdue suspects? Aren't they given basic training on talking someone into dropping a tiny “weapon” other than repeatedly yelling “Drop the knife!”? Every officer I've ever seen carries a baton, and I'm sure that was more than enough to both protect the officers and disarm the girl. On top of that, your mention of their carrying pepper spray only adds to this very suspect and needless shooting. Thank you for your reporting. I hope you'll stay with this story and help keep everything out in the open.
Robert Jensen
Via e-mail
IN DEFENSE OF BRIT MOD HIPSTERS
Um dude . . . Trendzilla is gay [Trendzilla, Sept. 15]. And they are totally ripping on Pop Levi—he's such a rad guy, and I love his style! That's just a horrible picture! He can't help that he's a Brit mod, for godsakes—do you know that you just dissed the former bass player of Ladytron? WTF? I'm pissed. Well, not pissed . . . but, you know.
Anonymous
Via e-mail
Vickie Chang responds: You say “former bass player of Ladytron” like it's supposed to earn him some cred.
FIRST-CLASS WHORES ARE PEOPLE TOO
The woman depicted on the card looks like a first-class whore or better yet a cheap hooker [promotional flier for OC Weekly's Decadence party]. Is this your idea of attracting quality people to your event or maybe you like sleaze and trash for your clientele. As you take in garbage you also become what you see and hear, nothing more than slime. Maybe a person with a small I.Q. could only come up with this theme because his brain is linked to his genital!
A Resident of Orange County
WINNING THE WAR AGAINST SEA OTTERS
Van Tran opposes AB 2485 [Commie Girl, Sept. 8]?? What a fucking jerk. There are less than 3,000 sea otters left and I predict that in a couple of hundred years, they might be totally gone, along with a large portion of the world's animal population in general. Do we really need assholes like this speeding up the process? What a waste of space this cock is. And he's in office. Disgusting. Thanks, Rebecca.
Melissa Ortiz
Tustin
WATCH YOUR BACK, ELLEN GRILEY
Warning: your name is apparently mud around the Mater Dei High theater department. First, you apparently ripped a band with members or friends in theater. (I think it was a live review where you called the kids rich even though they aren't [“Of Course, Dad,” Aug. 31].) Next, they say you trashed a play on a blog (?) that turned out to be directed by a Mater Dei theater teacher. So you'd better check your brake lines the next time you park near MDHS Room 215 (theater class).
Anonymous
Via e-mail
Chris Ziegler responds: Who cares?
