TO THE EDITOR:
The case of Jerome Campbell has some of the signs typical of a conviction by mistake: A poor black man represented by a public defender, and testimony from unreliable jailhouse snitches. At the trial, the jury found the defendant guilty, and all of the appeals since have found that the rules of procedure had been followed during this trial. By our laws, Campbell should die. Fortunately, in this case, there was some blood evidence presented at trial, and new DNA analysis supports the defendant's explanation of the blood's source. A board reviewed the evidence and is recommending clemency.
Ideally, we would not have to sit in judgment over our fellow man, but in the real world, we must. However, our human judgment should not be a matter of life or death. Such should be left to divine authority.
Eastern Hills Friends Meeting in Anderson Township urges the people of Ohio to stop contributing to the cycle of violence that plagues our society and to repeal the death penalty.
John-Peter Lund, Kennedy Heights
Options available for city's panhandlers
Now that Cincinnati City Council has failed to pass a panhandling ordinance, other options can be considered.
Send panhandlers to Metro-Tank's bus stop in the Mercantile Building at Government Square with a voucher to get a bus photo ID and several dollars of bus fare to go get help seeking work.
Refer panhandlers, the homeless and recently homeless to the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless to get a picture ID and 10 free issues of StreetVibes to sell for $1 each.
The new city social worker assigned to helping the down-and-out will have two inexpensive options to get panhandlers jobs through the region's numerous resources, such as the Career Resource Centers in Over-the-Rhine and around town.
John Zeh, Over-the-Rhine
Student hoodlums ruined a lovely street
As homeowner, my husband and I lived on Stratford Avenue for 46 years. We raised our five children there, and it was a lovely street; we had a beautiful home.
Over the past 10 years, you could see the neighborhood slowly changing as students moved in and absentee landlords took over the houses. The turning point was May 2002, when we saw couches burning in the street, beer bottles all over, car windows smashed, students laughing and cheering, and their camcorders recording the destruction and chaos. The smell of marijuana was prevalent and our porch and yard was filled with screaming students.
Then, like the Cinco de Mayo incident, the police presence was not seen until long after midnight. The university told me they were "not responsible." Being subjected to the folly of these irresponsible individuals forced us to sell our home and move to another city, whose citizens are protected by noise ordinances with a fine leveled against violators, and whose taxpaying citizens are a valued commodity and are not burdened with the potential loss of personal property or personal injury.
Cathy Baumer, St. Bernard
Children impress substitute teacher
Often it appears that the only reports of our public education are negative in nature. The few times I have substituted in the North College Hill kindergarten and first grade, I came away impressed with the learning process of the young students. They are reading well and performing math tasks with great competency. Teachers, administrators and parents are to be commended in establishing a wonderful learning environment for their students.
John J. Fierro, College Hill
Authorities at jail should be nervous
Once again I am sickened by the article in the May 13 Enquirer on yet another prisoner being abused while housed in a Grant County facility ("Second assault alleged in N. Ky. jail"). What makes our government employees think that they are above the system they are paid to enforce?
I would be nervous if I were one of the Grant County employees that in any way instigated, participated or failed to take necessary precautions to prevent abuse. If they are willing to break the law or neglect their duties as civil servants, they are opening themselves to one day being one of those very prisoners. If I were a jailor, guard or nurse, I would make sure these institutions are operated in the manner in which they are suppose to be ran, because I am hoping that the prosecuting attorney, judge and jury on these cases hand down the harshest sentence possible, and it is hoped, all guilty parties will be on the other side of those jail bars for a while. How will they feel, when they are victims to the very same treatment they have turned a blind eye to? I feel individuals that are trusted and placed in positions of authority and then abuse that right are the worse kind of criminals.
Jeannie Miley, Taylor Mill
Bengals, then Reds, now schools: suuuure
Here we go again. Give me a new football stadium and you will get better football. Give me a new baseball stadium and you will get better baseball. Give me new school buildings and you will get better-educated children.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
David G. Dorn, Anderson Township
Cleaner air, energy need to be balanced
It was refreshing to read the April 22 Cincinnati Enquirer editorial that emphasized the value of balancing the need for cleaner air with the importance of using our indigenous coal supplies to ensure that U.S. energy remains reliable and affordable for everyone.
In Ohio, nearly 90 percent of our electricity comes from lower-cost coal. Cinergy and Ohio's other electric utilities recognize the importance of continually improving the environmental efficiency of coal-fired power plants.
Their major investments in clean-coal technologies are one reason the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) recently reported that our state's air quality has made historic improvements in the past 30 years, according to an analysis of air-monitoring trend data collected for six major pollutants.
The ultimate goal is a zero- or near-zero-emitting coal-based power plant.
It is possible to continue to achieve the necessary balance between improving our air quality and ensuring Ohioans can continue to take advantage of our state's abundant supply of affordable coal.
Jacqueline F. Bird, Columbus
Director, Ohio Coal Development Office, Ohio Department of Development
Support Ohio Historical Society
I write in hopes of gaining support from Cincinnati and its surrounding communities for the Ohio Historical Society.
Due to a proposed budget cut by our Ohio Senate Finance Committee, the Ohio Historical Society faces major cuts for its programs, its historical sites and the archives/libraries it maintains for our use.
We all tend to take advantage of the fact that our children have historical sites to visit and learn from (such as Fort Ancient or Fort Meig), that our teachers have a complete resource center available to them in our state's capital, and that students can participate in research and enrichment programs such as the National History Day in Ohio program by researching in an extensive library and archive collection in our own state.
Please contact the Ohio Historical Society at www.ohiohistory.org or (614) 297-2300 to learn how you can help preserve our state's history.
A brief letter to your state representative and/or Gov. Taft to show your support, or simply making the effort to become a member of OHS, is all that it takes.
Take advantage of Ohio's wonderful historical buildings and sites this summer as a member of the Ohio Historical Society.
Jill Wittekind, Mason
