Letters to the Editor 06.30.16

Dog Fight

Gary Tiscornia writes that the San Jose animal shelter doesn’t accept certain animals (“The SPCA responds, and lays out its mission,” June 16-22). To clarify: Our shelter does not turn away any animal in need. When people want to surrender their pet, we do not pick only the healthy, friendly animals and reject the rest. In 2015, we took more than 2,000 owner-surrendered animals. We euthanized several hundred because their behavior or health was beyond our capacity to help. On infrequent occasions, when the shelter is full, we ask people to wait to surrender their pet if it isn’t an emergency situation. We don’t want to compromise another animal’s chances by overcrowding the shelter. In all cases, if the situation warrants, we will take the pet – even when full.

Gary writes: “If you profess to be a protector of animals, turning them away to an unknown fate is unacceptable.” Any organization that professes to be a “protector of animals” and whose policy is to “never turn an animal away,” then euthanizes 50 percent of the animals that enter their facility, is preaching a hollow philosophy. Jon Cicirelli | San Jose

Editor’s note: Jon Cicirelli is director of Animal Care and Services for the city of San Jose. A longer version of this letter appears in the comments section here.

Painful Truth

Dr. Mangar should be allowed to continue practicing medicine while this case is still pending (“Salinas pain doc continues practicing, despite call to suspend license,” June 23-29). What the fools at the DA don’t know is that patients who have been on long-term opiates cannot be suddenly withdrawn from their medications, otherwise they will become very sick. At the very least, Dr. Mangar should be given enough time to move his patients to other pain management doctors. I think Dr. Mangar is being falsely accused simply because he’s a pain doctor. If you suffer from severe chronic pain like I do, pain doctors are the difference between life and death. I really hope Dr. Mangar is found innocent. Tony Esparza | via web

Feeling sorry for his desperate patients. Susanne George | via Facebook

Sand Box

Interesting read. I remember when it seemed all there was to Sand City was a sign (“Sand City looks to its beachfront for future development,” June 16-22).

I’m not sure how I feel about the coast being used for a hotel, though. It’s beautiful because it’s pristine. Thank god for the extreme coastal “police.” The last thing we need is another hotel, half filled (if that) and blocking the beautiful ocean. Raquel Bonilla | via Facebook

House and Home

Homes, anyone? (“Salinas Chinatown Health Services Center plans move ahead,” posted June 16.) A car is not a home. A lunch once a week is not a home. A tent is not a home. A motel room is not a home. A church floor is not a home.

You know what is a home? A house. Sue Hecht | via Facebook

Sue, I don’t know what else can be done. I feel for the homeless that have found themselves without a home. There is no way we can just give out houses. I also see way too many homeless who chose to not work. Why should they get free housing when others are working two jobs to pay the rent? Nicole Nancy Amaral | via Facebook

Law of the Land

The Weekly conflates unconsciousness with consent and presents a one-sided story (“Army withdraws charges against Presidio rape suspect,” posted June 23). The narrative that both the defense and the article crafted is that DLI student C.G. Conerly “was accused of having intercourse with an unconscious woman… ” Unconscious people cannot, by definition, do anything besides be unconscious, including consenting to and having sex. In fact, the law – both military and civilian – recognizes this as rape.

The only voice represented is that of the accused perpetrator of this crime. His attorney is quoted stating the victim “fabricated this story because she was caught cheating.”

The perspective of the victim, the prosecution, or professionals who understand the dynamics of drug-facilitated sexual assault were not consulted for a balanced viewpoint.

As a result, the Weekly is promoting the myth that women lie about rape.

The Weekly can do better. Lauren DaSilva | Salinas

Editor’s note: DaSilva is deputy director of the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center.

Cracking Down

I applaud the city of Salinas for bringing back this program to save our kids from a life in gangs (“Salinas agrees to renew a gang-fighting program,” June 23-29).

However, this is treating the symptoms of the problem, not the root. I want my town free of gangs, period!

I am sick of reading how some young person was shot dead, and both the victim and shooter were gang-related. If you know who the gangsters are, then get them, prosecute them, and throw the keys away.

I do not feel that our prosecutors are using the most effective tools to interdict gang activity.

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is designed to eradicate organized crime gangs by targeting leadership. Let’s start by removing the known gang members and the leadership that keeps them active in our community.

Let’s have some RICO prosecutions with super-max penalties. Frank Calamia | Salinas

Corrections

A story about the underground music scene in Salinas (“Franky Rivera, death metal vocalist and music promoter talks about the underground Salinas music scene,” June 23-29) misstated two band names. They are Strawberry Girls, not Strawberry Groves, and Vianna, not Vienna. In addition, the location of a show was at the YMCA in Soledad.