I’m sorry but I must take issue with the Monday letter to the editor from Robert Stasch, a retired Chicago Police Department lieutenant. Lt. Stasch argues that search warrants at the wrong address are rare, that Anjanette Young’s case was one in 1,500 and, therefore, too much fuss is being made about it.
I find this defense as problematic as the raid itself. It seems to say that the behavior of this police team would have been OK if only they had gotten the address right, that it’s standard operating procedure to treat a legitimate suspect this way. That’s horrifying.
Say, for the sake of argument, that the police had raided the right apartment. Say also, for the sake of argument, that Ms. Young actually did know the suspect. Couldn’t two or three of the armed officers first have taken her to another room and supervised her dressing, before handcuffing her, if that was indeed necessary? With a naked person, there’s no chance of that person pulling a gun out of clothing.
No, this incident must not be swept under the carpet. Change is needed in how police handle such incidents.
Innocent or guilty, this is no way to treat a suspect.
Steven M. Cohen, Evanston
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Political violence
If there is political violence on Jan. 6 or Jan. 20, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. Donald Trump has acted like a wannabe dictator since before he was elected in 2016.
He threatened to abide by the results of that election only if he won. He has gotten into bed with dictators around the world. He has ignored the constitution whenever possible, saying it allows him to do whatever he wants. He has acted as if the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution does not exist. He has said the only way he could lose the 2020 election was if he was cheated.
Knowing all this, more than 74 million still voted for him. If 21,800 people in Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona had selected Trump instead of Biden, Trump would have become even more of a dictator. Who is surprised he is now telling his supporters to take it to the streets?
Kevin Coughlin, Evanston
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