Letters

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.

HANDICAPPED HUSTLER

The following letter is in regard to R. Scott Moxley's Oct. 27 story, “The New Crips.”

I used your article as the basis for a paper on alternative dispute resolution for my Business Law class. I decided to approach it from the perspective of people taking advantage of the desire of businesses to avoid costly litigation. Your article clearly reflects your repudiation of David Gunther and [his lawyer] Morse Mehrban's tactics, and I applaud you for this. I read that Gunther has suffered some legal setbacks since October 2006. Hopefully, stories like yours will serve as an impetus to continued legal change in this area.
Sean Goodspeed
via e-mail

GOD HELP THE OUTCASTS

The following letters concern Gustavo Arellano's March 29 “interview” with Mickey Mouse, “The Ratn that Roared,” on Disney's battle with the city of Anaheim over control of property immediately surrounding Disneyland.

So who wants to spend good money traveling to Disneyland and have to look at your people?
Gordon Quiroz
via e-mail

This article is CRAP. This interview never happened, and falsifying information in that way is wrong for so many reasons. Mickey Mouse is a household name. It's like slandering Jesus; you just don't do it. I love your magazine, but this really pissed me off. I hope Disney sues. I feel you should write a retractment [sic] statement and make things right.
Tahra
via e-mail

PRISON GROVE

The following letters are in regard to Nick Schou's March 29 story, “Blind Spot,” on the death of OC jail inmate John Chamberlain.

I am writing you to air out my disappointment in your recent front-page illustration of “Blind Spot” and inmate John Chamberlain. The front-page art of this article clearly depicts a bloody white man with two distinctly obvious Mexican inmates in the background. In reading the article, it stated it was several white men who beat John to death. So why then do you have two Mexicans as the apparent assailants on the front cover? This is clearly a misleading front page and is just adding to a stereotypical belief that violent inmates are only of Latino and African-American ethnicity.
Ray
via e-mail

Editor's note: As the preceding letter correctly states, Matt Bors' cover illustration did not accurately depict the account of John Chamberlain's death described in Nick Schou's story. The illustrator and the Weekly regret the error.

Sounds like everyday shit to me. It's much worse in West Virginia. I've seen guards put them in a three-piece and blast their heads on the block walls until they're worn out; then they take a break and do it again. And once you're in the system, you have no human rights. . . . I've seen them not give meds just to watch all the fun things that happen. Welcome to the U.S.: guilty till and even after proven innocent.
Dr. Stephen E. Capps
via e-mail

I have been there in the main jail, and it's routine. Some deputies actually hold court and let the other inmates know not to hit in the face and only on the body. Orders are always given out by deputies. They have the inmates fucking scared to death—the inmates have the other inmates to deal with along with the fucking deputies.
Johnny
via e-mail

Thank you for the graphic account of the modus operandi at the OC Theo Lacy Jail. What can we do about this? At least readers will get a picture of what to expect in this detention facility for NONVIOLENT detainees. Tell me how I can help pressure for justice and sanity.
Liz Bolotin
via e-mail

MOTHERLESS CHILD

Letters about Sam McPheeters'March 16 “No, Sir, I Don't Like Him,” in which he expresses his disdain for Eric Clapton, continue to pour in.

My mom liked Eric Clapton. Enough said.
Gretchen
via e-mail

TRAILER FABULOUS

The following letter is in regards to Matt Coker's March 29 review ofBigger, Dirtier and Uncut: Trailer Park Boys the Movie.

A few months back, Netflix suggested I might also enjoy The Trailer Park Boys Season 1. After taking the bait, I was hooked. My husband and I have since enjoyed every season of this crude, rude, charming, disarming series. The plot lines are all pretty similar, yet we laugh every time. The writing is funny, sometimes touching. A tip of the hat to the rest of the cast who play their stereotypical parts with dead-on accuracy and originality. Thanks for bringing some attention to one of the funniest things I've seen in ages.
DeeJay
via e-mail

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

The review of Ham Tran's Journey From the Fall [Scott Foundas, “New Reviews,” March 23] is full of ignorance about the ordeal of many Vietnamese. Movies about Martin Luther King Jr. or Richard Nixon would not change their historical speeches or words. Moreover, critics would not call such movies old-fashioned or, worse, phony. As a result, Ham Tran's real depiction of the Vietnamese should not be derided in such a manner. He uses the actual words etched into prisoners' minds in the re-education camps. They are real, and they are painful. They are not fake, scripted “declamatory political dialogue,” as Scott Foundas states.
Russ Ly
via e-mail

Journey from the Fall is not just a dreamt-up story; this film depicts the actual experiences of millions of Vietnamese refugees. The comment on the film is an insult to the true hardships our people have had to endure, and it must not be taken lightly.
Jenny
via e-mail

While I understand that movie reviews reflect opinions, the evidence reviewers use when explaining their opinions to readers must be accurate. Foundas' use of the term “phony” to describe Journey from the Fall is unimaginably hurtful to the Vietnamese American community. He wrote it was akin to “movie-of-the-week inspirationalism” without an understanding of the undeniably dramatic and emotional tone of the situation. I guess I do not necessarily expect Foundas to reflect Vietnamese perspectives, but I do expect OC Weekly to understand the communities it serves.
Stephanie Van
via e-mail

PARK LIFE

This next letter is in regards to Stan Brin's June 8, 2006, story, “Ticket Wizard,” which revealed that an OC company now handles parking tickets—making both justice and the law disappear.

I am so disgusted by this article because it happens to people from all over. I am sickened by the fact there is NO justice for those of us who are completely in the right. I myself just yesterday received a Notice of Delinquent Parking violation for a ticket I NEVER received. I am livid! How can these people make up tickets? Where is the justice for those people victimized by these mindless leeches?
Stacie Contreras
via e-mail

ASSUME THE (STAFF) POSITION

OC Weekly is searching for just the right combination of journalistic talent, dogged determination and borderline insanity to fill a staff-writer position. Send a cover letter, rsum and your five best writing samples to Ted B. Kissell, editor, OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. No phone calls, please.

JOIN THE WEEKLY CREW

OC Weekly also has a few part-time positions open. We're looking for a couple of freelance writers: one who is knowledgeable about visual art and can describe it for readers in a way that is understandable, entertaining and unpretentious; and another who has a passion for good food, good writing and has more than a passing acquaintance with the Orange County food scene.

Arts and food writer candidates should send a cover letter, rsum and writing samples to Ted B. Kissell, editor, OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Again, no phone calls.

We are also looking for a dependable, experienced proofreader for part-time, weekend proofing. A rigorous test covering spelling, grammar, word usage, punctuation and style will be given to qualified candidates. Potential proofreaders should contact Erich Burnett at Village Voice Media, 1468 W. Ninth St., Ste. 805, Cleveland, OH 44113. E-mail Er***********@Vi***************.com. Look, we said no phone calls, okay? Geez.

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