{"id":238604,"date":"2016-08-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-05T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/letters-to-the-editor-august-2016\/"},"modified":"2016-08-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-08-05T07:00:00","slug":"letters-to-the-editor-august-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/letters-to-the-editor-august-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters to the editor \u2013 August 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

New park has no local focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can honestly say that I\u2019m a bit disappointed by the long-awaited opening of the new public park fronting Horton Plaza Downtown.<\/p>\n

Not that it isn\u2019t aesthetic and utilitarian \u2026 and don\u2019t get me wrong, as a coffee lover, I really like Starbucks; but there\u2019s a Starbucks on virtually every block already \u2014 everywhere.<\/p>\n

I especially like the way that the new green build at the airport and the continuing commercialization of Petco Park have focused on promoting local companies \u2014 the Phil\u2019s barbecues and Stone Breweries of the world \u2014 businesses that are quintessentially, San Diego.<\/p>\n

Couldn\u2019t Horton Plaza Park have picked a nice local mom-and-pop coffee shop to feature, rather than going with the international corporate giant?<\/p>\n

Wouldn\u2019t that have promoted \u201cSan Diego\u201d better \u2014 and more honestly?<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t do that at Horton and I wonder why, though I think I probably know the answer ($).<\/p>\n

\u2014Dave Schwab, via email<\/em><\/p>\n

Questioning solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Ref: Guest Editorial: Solving the cycle of homelessness,\u201d Vol. 17, Issue 7, or online at tinyurl.com\/jbmbtcb<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

While most of what you say is true, we have overlooked the solution staring us right in the (faith). The number of churches, church properties, and people willing to help. We could end homelessness basically right now. Lets ask the churches to do something besides pass the collection plate.<\/p>\n

\u2014K. Awrey, via sandiegodowntownnews.com<\/em><\/p>\n

I agree with 95 percent of what Deacon Jim Vargas, CEO of Father Joe\u2019s Villages, had to say, except for a few parts of his visions.<\/p>\n

To make begging no longer occur, the poor would need to have somewhat more money than currently, whether that be by employment, collecting discarded cans, or increases in SSI and general relief money. Many cannot even afford a bus ticket to go see a doctor.<\/p>\n

The statement that short-term solutions do not help is very true and fundamental, but there have been no successful long-term solutions the past 80 years, nor the will to pay for housing for those who need it.<\/p>\n

And, the institutionalization of the\u00a0homeless, such as at Father Joe\u2019s, has had a negative effect on most, to the point that it is unwanted by\u00a0homeless people.\u00a0Many think that it\u2019s worse than the sidewalk.\u00a0I am not seeing anything new from any service provider, including Father Joe\u2019s Villages, that has not failed repeatedly in the past, so let\u2019s see some new solutions that have never been tried before.<\/p>\n

I have suggested house-sitter positions for the homeless, tiny houses, rural camps, military billeting on base of homeless veterans, housing on barges in the harbor, campgrounds and even hotels in Tijuana.<\/p>\n

Closing the tent shelters resulted in the massive numbers of homeless currently on the sidewalk and getting rid of the toilets resulted in lots of sidewalk stink and the costs of cleaning it up.<\/p>\n

Eliminating the trash bins resulted in lots of street trash.\u00a0Having insufficient storage space for possessions resulted in having a lot of belongings everywhere.<\/p>\n

Is all this making sense to everyone?\u00a0I want to propose that the Alpha Project run Father Joe\u2019s Villages in San Diego.<\/p>\n

\u2014Dr. John Kitchin, Publisher, San Diego Homeless News, via email<\/em><\/p>\n

Comments on the coliseum<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Ref: The coliseum: a local boxing landmark, Vol. 16, Issue 12 or online at tinyurl.com\/gpnjtr8<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Not sure on the \u201cclosing\u201d date. I went to a wrestling card there in the summer of 1979. Maybe the last boxing match was in \u201974?<\/p>\n

\u2014Pete Nowell, via our website<\/em><\/p>\n

Great article, it brought back some great memories. The Coliseum was also the place to watch great wrestling matches that included the greats of the 50s and 60s.<\/p>\n

Names like Gorgeous George, Bo Bo Brazil, Freddie Blassie, Mr. Moto, Mil Mascaras, The Destroyer, ex-San Diego Charger Ernie Ladd, and the tag team with a combined weight of 750 pounds the Haystack Calhoun Brothers.<\/p>\n

I even had a birthday party with my friends and family for the packed wrestling matches.<\/p>\n

I remember when the Coliseum closed it brought more than a few tears to my eyes. I have walked and driven past the building many times since and the ticket window cut outs are still visible near the entrance.<\/p>\n

\u2014Steve Krasner, via our website<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New park has no local focus I can honestly say that I\u2019m a bit disappointed by the long-awaited opening of the new public park fronting Horton Plaza Downtown. Not that it isn\u2019t aesthetic and utilitarian \u2026 and don\u2019t get me wrong, as a coffee lover, I really like Starbucks; but there\u2019s a Starbucks on virtually […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":238603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Letters to the editor \u2013 August 2016","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11552,11600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-opinion","category-sdnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}