God help America

Dear Editor:

As a retired peace officer (Department of the California Youth Authority), I took an oath, like other law enforcement professionals, to serve as a guardian of the the peace.

I could not believe with my own eyes the video of the policeman in Kenosha Wisconsin pumping seven bullets into the back of unarmed African American Jacob Blake as he was trying to climb into his vehicle to be with his three young children. Just imagine the life long daily trauma that his three children will have to endure for the rest of their lives.

Then the Kenosha police union puts out a tweet to its citizens not to make rash judgments before all the facts are considered regarding Blake’s unjustifiable shooting. Photographs or videos don’t lie.

My heart goes out to all the professional peace officers in America who are being demonized for the bad unprofessional reaction by one rogue Kenosha cop. You would not find a single Claremont police officer who would have responded in a similar manner or who would condone the Kenosha police shooting.

But the real tragedy happened Tuesday night when two human beings exercising their legal right to protest were gunned down and murdered in cold blood by a vigilante militiaman who was not legally deputized to be a peace officer in Kenosha.

Defund and abolish the police? And let the racists serve as cops? America is in crisis. It should not be God bless America, but God help America.

Al Villanueva

Claremont

Presidential election

Dear Editor:

As a person who has lived in Claremont for almost 35 years, it is not news to me that it is a trendy city that is liberal with five colleges and votes Democratic.

As a registered Republican, who occasionally crosses the line, I am now seeing quite a few Biden signs for president. However, that is not the case with me this time and I will not cross over.

Biden is in favor of open borders and we lose the country. Down go George Washington statues. I will not, however, put up a Trump sign in my yard for fear of it being stolen or worse yet having my house vandalized or torched.

It is unfortunate there is no room for different views in this liberal city or your paper. So sad.

Jacqueline Leader Mahoney

Claremont

Emerging from isolation

Dear Editor:

Need a fresh perspective on our current sheltering in place? Check out the online exhibit “Inside Out: Emerging from Isolation” on the Claremont Museum of Art website. This summer, CMA has invited 28 local artists to submit works of art which they have created since March.

Viewers can enjoy a rich variety of fine art responses to our extraordinary times, but do not skip the artists’ statements, which border on poetry. We can all identify with phrases such as “this time in the cave,” “no clear reprieve,” “swirling and whirling,” “an island unto myself.”

But, as various exhibitors suggest, “art is an escape,” a “light against the darkness,” “an indulgence while sheltering” where we can “unmask our fear and pain.”

One artist recalls “dear ones who have sadly walked into the woods,” while another reconnects with an ICU nurse from her past.

Thank you, local artists, for this inspiration!

Jean Collinsworth

Claremont

Harry is priceless

Dear Editor:

I’m a fan of Priceless Pets. Two years ago I was “just looking” for a terrier to adopt when I went to Priceless Pets in Chino Hills. A volunteer handed me a small gray mop and said, “This one just came in. Take him for a walk.”

Needless to say, “Hunter,” now known as “Harry,” came home with me. The only background information was that Harry was turned in to a shelter in Costa Mesa, but his description as good with kids, good with people, and good with other dogs was absolutely correct.

I moved to Mt. San Antonio Gardens three months later, so Harry had to adjust quickly to a second place to live. He’s my sixth rescue dog. They are all so resilient—just give them love and a safe home, and those tails start wagging!

Paula Hui

Pomona

Concerned La Puerta neighbors

[Editor’s note: The following letter was sent to the council and commissions of the city of Claremont. —KD]

Dear Editor:

A vast number of residents in the La Puerta/North Base Line neighborhood have formed a group with similar concerns regarding the Trumark proposal of density (65 homes, approx. 4,500 square foot lots and nine ADUs) to be built on the La Puerta property on Forbes owned by CUSD. We have joined together to protect the ambiance of our neighborhood.

The Trumark development concerns include added traffic on Forbes Avenue of 200 or more cars per day and shrinking the city park by 16 percent or more.

Also, during construction a road on the south perimeter of the soccer park would remove 40 years of tree growth, thus removing the sound and light barrier that was part of the agreement with the residents when the park was developed. As of July 31, 2020, the city has not been notified that their 99-year lease for the CUSD/soccer park has been illegally modified.

We realize that not all residents in this neighborhood agree with our concerns. We welcome all ideas, but we are adamant about fostering the concerns of our group.

We will eventually have a web page to keep track of our findings, efforts and documentation.

Joyce Sauter

Claremont

on behalf of “Concerned La Puerta/

North Base Line Residents”