Real safety concerns overshadow progress
Chattanooga is my hometown. I attended its public schools and graduated from UTC in 1980. When I moved away after college, I did not expect to return two decades later to a city positively transformed. I now own my own business on the North Shore, a neighborhood that exemplified how arts of Chattanooga are being transformed from crumbling to thriving.
But only parts. The opening of the sculpture garden at Montague Park made me aware of the disparities in our city. I want to go see the art, but I’m afraid to visit the neighborhood where it’s on display. Will I be safe, especially if I go alone? I regret having these fears, but they are real.
I love and fear for my native city. I hope for her future and dread what may come to pass if we fail to act with boldness and vision to secure a safe and prosperous future for all citizens. We have shown the world that we are Chattanooga Strong. Now we need to prove that we are also Chattanooga Fair, Chattanooga Just, Chattanooga Kind.
Meanwhile, would someone like to accompany me to Montague Park”
Marcia Toumayan
Learn to live with offense
Freedom of religion – first proposed for Catholics already living in the United States. I have known a lot of Catholics in my life, but never heard of a “radical Catholic or Catholic jihadist.”
Birthright privileges – applied to give slaves already living here citizenship. They worked, paid taxes and helped defend our country in the military. None of them crossed the border illegally to give birth. Stop giving welcome packages containing “free everything.” The welfare system rewards a single mother every time she gives birth with a bigger check and more food stamps. Then, a “bonus” income tax refund. Birth control should be made mandatory for welfare recepients. It’s just common sense. People come into our country and demand that we accept their language, conform to their beliefs and recognize their God.
Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Majority no longer rules, free speech is a thing of the past. You may”offend” someone and be fired or threatened with a lawsuit. Some may be offended by this letter. Well, I’m offended by something everyday. That’s life.
Jean H. Sutherland
Soddy-Daisy