I was saddened to learn that someone was killed last Saturday
night in downtown Gilroy, not too far from our future Cultural Art
Center.
Safety an issue downtown, let’s get back to strong revitalization efforts
Dear Editor,
I was saddened to learn that someone was killed last Saturday night in downtown Gilroy, not too far from our future Cultural Art Center.
As an Arts Commissioner, and someone who strongly supports the proposed Cultural Art Center, I’m concerned that safety is still an issue with the downtown. Unless people feel safe coming downtown at night, the success of our future Center will be in jeopardy.
I also hope that the Council will keep in mind that the downtown needs not just one building to celebrate the arts, but a cluster of buildings and businesses. Our goal ought to be to create a vibrant downtown comparable to our neighbors to the north, such as Mountain View. The downtown needs to be open at night. There are too many empty buildings downtown that are shuttered and boarded up.
I recognize that this has been a busy year for the City Council dealing with elections, the retirement of both the city manager and police chief, not to mention the recent purchase of the Gilroy Gardens. It is understandable that attention had been diverted from downtown. But now that those jobs are done, we can re-direct our attention back to downtown revitalization and the Downtown Specific Plan. 
A more vibrant and diverse downtown with more restaurants, shops, leisure and entertainment venues that are open at night may curb the violence. Perhaps, as the saying goes – there is safety in numbers. I certainly hope so.      
Mary Ellison, Gilroy, Arts and Culture Commissioner
This letter was awarded the Golden Quill, which is given occasionally for a well-written letter.
Kids Discover Arts events and leaders both wonderfully Gilroy
Dear Editor,
We thank city supervisor and coordinator, Cathy Mirelez and Renee Harrigan for co-chairing another outstanding Kids Discover Arts event and to their wonderful team, many of whom return year after year. 
Our granddaughter was excited the moment she walked through the entrance and became more excited with each art station that she visited.
The event was well attended with adults and kids having a special morning “discovering the arts”. This is another event that truly helps define “Gilroy as great”!
Joan and Phil Buchanan, Gilroy 
Printing names of arrested in the ‘tired old name of public safety’
Dear Editor,
The discussion by the editorial board and columnists Ben Anderson, and Cynthia Walker concerning arrest details printed in the Dispatch needs another hat in the ring. An editorial advocated printing the names and addresses of the arrested in the tired old name of “public safety.”  
Keep in mind, this is the excuse for the ongoing erosion of our rights and liberty, be it by the socialist, ban-everything left or by the militaristic, authoritarian right. It is my position that the paper only print the names of those convicted (including whether it was a coerced plea, a.k.a. a plea-bargain, or a conviction by jury), and leave the names of the arrested undisclosed.  
In no way am I suggesting the paper be denied the right to print this; I just think it should exercise some responsibility, which should be take precedence over the profit of selling a few extra pieces of gossip. I maintain this position because it is far too easy to ruin someone who is innocent.  
Although most readers know the difference between accusation (arrest) and conviction (supposedly proven guilty in the kangaroo court of law), such publicity still tarnishes the reputation of the accused, often ruining him for life. I personally know of two local cases. The first was of a local doctor who was accused of molesting a patient. The case was finally thrown out of court, but because his name and the charges were made well known (so the area newspapers, plural, could up their profits), he will never practice in the area again.
The second involved five friends and me back in the winter of 1985-86. We were 20 years old and had a 12-pack of beer on private property, on which we had permission to be. We were also smart enough to know better than to talk to the police, who only make things worse (ruin people’s lives). So, the zealot district attorney charged us with burglary and the paper gladly reported it.  
Anyone who read the blotter would think we were ripping the place off, although none of us have ever stolen anything in our lives. The only thing of which we were guilty was underage drinking (typically an infraction, at that time things were not so strict), yet it took months of anxiety (causing one of our group a full year delay in her education and another to lose an employment opportunity) and thousands of dollars in attorney fees to make things right, all because the police and the D.A. wanted to justify their pathetic existences and because the paper wanted to sell some gossip.
The current system has corrupted the entire Constitutional innocence until proven guilty. The paper is not helping the situation by printing the names of those arrested.
Alan Viarengo, Gilroy
