Hart turns around facts at Starbucks
In a May 4 column, Ron Hart wrote a satirical piece, “The Starbucks Stops Here.”
The facts of the situation are skewed just enough to make the situation’s injustice land on conservative business ideals. The irony is the three men meeting were going to discuss real estate business in a gentrified neighborhood’s coffee shop. The facts of this case speak to the op-ed; the reader can dig them out.
I don’t know what we expect of businesses that make a call that could endanger someone’s life, a call that could bring a patron’s right to peace to crash down.
If after three minutes the two men were greeted by the police rather than their colleague for a business meeting, I would say something went terribly wrong. And what went wrong wasn’t asking to use a bathroom, not buying something or sitting in the open seating area.
The company CEO chose to redefine the Starbucks culture as one that does not include fear and racism. That benefits everyone.
I’m not sure how that added insult to injury for Hart when the insult was to the two men who spent 24 hours in jail worrying about their lives.
Lynne Marchetti
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Don’t put grocery store on South Broad
As a resident of Lookout Valley, I urge you not to build a Publix at a site on South Broad. Trying to get in and out of Lookout Valley via Broad Street and Cummings Highway is already challenging enough, especially when the traffic on I-24 is backed up to kingdom come in both directions.
It is practically impossible to get in or out of our community during these frequent traffic pileups. Mike Price needs to come and sit in one these jams and see why building a grocery store at that site would only make things worse.
In an article published on May 8, Mr. Price states that the Publix in North Chattanooga has been well received. This is true because there was no grocery store in the area. Publix filled a need. A grocery store isn’t needed in St. Elmo at that location. You can stand on that property and almost see Food City.
What my husband and I and the other 6,000 residents in our community would really like to see is a grocery store in Lookout Valley. There is property suitable for such a development in our area.
Susan M. Dailey
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Actions, not words: Vote for Mitchell
Witness the classic David vs. Goliath battle. An April 16 TFP article details Rep. Chuck Fleischmann’s war chest of more than $1 million vs. Dr. Danielle Mitchell with a measly $69,565.
Our 3rd Congressional District of Tennessee, like so many other elections, is a foregone conclusion. Right?
Let politicians raise money from special interest groups and wealthy donors, then declare the winner. Why involve the petty constituents? Voting. What a quaint notion.
If your confidence in our democracy is eroding and you yearn for an ethical, grassroots candidate, I urge you to consider Dr. Danielle Mitchell.
Dr. Mitchell grew up poverty-stricken and obese. She pulled herself up by the bootstraps to graduate from medical school and tackle our community health care needs. A family physician with an office in Hixson, her clinic is a lifeline for low-income families. Dr. Mitchell sees firsthand the devastation, both physically and financially, the current health care system unleashes on our citizens. She wants to craft a solution.
Do you believe in actions, not words? Dr. Mitchell can’t do it herself. She needs your vote.
Lisa Shivers, Signal Mountain