Safety downtown and “wishful thinking”
Re: “16th Street Mall: Man arrested in stabbings,” Jan. 14 news story
After the horrific stabbings of four people, two fatally, the mayor’s assurances of safety on the 16th Street Mall appear to be wishful thinking. Where is the backing for adequate police protection, i.e., funding for a viable police force? Why aren’t the District Attorney’s office and our courts more stringent with lasting penalties for crime? What happened to our right to feel and be safe walking Denver’s streets?
B.J. Stratman, Denver
Time for leaders to heed lessons from wildfires
The untamable fires swept into Los Angeles thanks to wealth-driven land use decisions and decades of disregard for the inevitability of climate change.
It’s past time to rethink land use planning — especially on the fringe or red zone, where the natural environment meets urban neighborhoods. A spark in the red zone often goes unnoticed until lives and properties are lost.
Colorado had an opportunity to learn the peril of ignoring wildfire risk with the Waldo Canyon Fire (Colorado Springs) and the more recent Marshall Fire (Superior). But did officials and planners learn?
Unfortunately, the potential for deadly wildfires is seldom among the considerations that Colorado cities and counties weigh in approving residential and commercial developments. A century ago Los Angeles could have required permanent development measures (such as public defensible space,) required certain fireproof building materials and so much more. In some cases, they did; the Getty Museum was spared, while homes burned all around it.
There’s still time for Colorado to avoid the heartbreak of Los Angeles, but only if the lives of future residents and business owners are put before the profit of developers.
Karen A. Wagner, Fort Collins
Legislator conversations are central to being productive
Re: “2025 legislative session will be the first where lawmakers can discuss possible legislation in private. Good!” Jan. 12 commentary
Thank you for publishing Krista Kafer. The vast majority of Coloradans, and Americans for that matter, are just to the right or just to the left of center. But our politics are way too often pushed from the edges, which brings us the extreme divides we have today.
When it comes to actually making sensible, middle-of-the-road policy, which is what most citizens want, having the ability to discuss ideas, practical implications and consequences without the press watching is crucial. It’s where we find those nearer-to-the-middle ideas.
Kafer’s broader point is that representative government, as designed by our Founders, requires private deliberation. With all its flaws, and there are many, the Constitutional Convention delegates in 1787 would never have written what they did if every Philadelphian had been in the room.
Having participated in literally hundreds of discussions about upcoming legislation before the bill was introduced, I can attest to how productive and consequential those conversations are. There is plenty of time for public input as a bill goes through the process of becoming law.
Lois Court, Denver
Editor’s note: Court is a former state senator from District 31.
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