Letters for Oct. 30, 2024
Save our city before it’s dead
I respectfully demand that Mayor Lisa Brown do her job and stop the crime that has taken over our city, especially our downtown area.
She promised us change and she has not kept her promise.
The city has a budget deficit, but in the past month it was reported she hired more staff positions each with a salary starting at more than $100,000. The city does not need staff positions unless they are going to be working out on the streets where the problems are. Why should Brown have a full staff when other departments are short staffed?
I moved here 16 years ago after spending a day downtown, walking through the streets, shopping, eating at a restaurant and visiting the park. It was impressive. Now I don’t feel safe anywhere downtown in the daylight hours, let alone after dark.
There are many, many citizens who feel this way. I want my rights back as a taxpaying citizen.
Why can’t Brown just acknowledge we have a massive problem and give us something to work on? The city is bleeding, and we need to stop it before it is dead. Give the average citizen something to do to help achieve the goal.
The citizens of Spokane, regardless of our many differences, will agree on one thing: A clean, vibrant downtown is essential for the overall mood of the city.
The clock is ticking on Brown’s 30-day plan. What’s next?
Cheri Loveland
Spokane
Commending Culver for her reporting
I must take issue with (Warren) Carpenter’s letter of Oct. 25 wherein he critically addressed The Spokesman-Review’s writer, Nina Culver, for her coverage of the recent annual international Summit conference of the North American Unitarian Association here in Spokane.
Carpenter incorrectly states that the NAUA is a local organization. I am an NAUA member and attended the summit. In attendance and mingling with other NAUA members for three days were folks from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. I met attendees from Wisconsin, Connecticut, North Carolina, Florida, California, Washington and other states.
We had about 75 in-person attendees and also about 75 fully participating Zoom attendees from at least two other countries and multiple U.S. states. We had multiple workshops and a nationally renowned keynote speaker.
NAUA is not a “split” from the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is a separate and distinct international organization, dedicated to liberal religion from a different philosophical perspective than that of UUA. Some Unitarian Universalist congregations are splitting due to philosophical differences with UUA and are considering becoming, or have become, NAUA member congregations.
Some UU congregations are members of both NAUA and UUA.
Carpenter is incorrect when he implies that UUA goes back to 1793. UUA was actually formed in 1959-60 after a 100-year effort to merge the American Unitarian Association and the Universalists’ association.
Culver did a great job of reporting on an international summit of a newly formed liberal religious institution, including accurately quoting key persons.
Thomas Mosher
Spokane
Watkins gave hope to everyone
It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of the Rev. Happy Watkins of Spokane, who I often introduced as the Inland Northwest pastor and a very dear friend.
He gave hope and encouragement to everyone who met him, be it person to person or in a large gathering. He was a giant among people that made our region so much better as he helped people in need and was a healer showing such compassion with a powerful spirit.
His legacy will live on in every person he met and the many ways he touched us all.
I cherish every moment I was honored to be with him.
He shared his recitation of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech on many occasions for Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene fifth-grade students in January at our annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Children’s Program in Coeur d’Alene.
I know he is at peace and reunited with many of his family and joining the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as pastors of the message of justice and righteousness.
Tony Stewart
Coeur d’Alene