Removal of Jerry Richardson’s statue has made me ashamed to call Charlotte home

In defense of Jerry Richardson

The writer is a retired co-founder of Bojangles.

I first met Jerry Richardson over 40 years ago. Many like me who grew up in the South long ago were racist. I certainly was. But I realized the evil of racism when I attended college, as I believe Jerry did. I have lived in Charlotte almost 40 years and have seen the amazing changes in this city that I have came to love, but now I am ashamed to call this place my home. I pray that my heart will change, but right now I would love nothing better than to see an empty stadium to affect David Tepper in the only way that seems to matter to him — in his pocketbook.

Richard S. Whicker, Charlotte

NC needs a plan for November

Voters must begin to demand answers from the N.C. legislature about how voting will proceed in November. Will it be entirely by mail? Will masks be required? How will poll worker safety be handled? We can’t wait for legislators to say: “We didn’t have enough time to prepare.” All means must be in place for safe and secure voting.

The current party in power in the legislature has proven it will use nefarious means to control votes. The sacred rights of voters can never again be compromised in this fashion. We, as voters, must demand accountability.

Mary Ann Evanoff, Midland

Compel businesses to require masks

Widespread mask usage is a cheap and effective way for COVID-19 rates to decrease. Many seem to be interpreting the “wear” guideline as a polite request, rather than a strong urging. Mandatory mask usage might not be feasible to enforce, but stronger words might carry more weight with the complacent. To better protect people at risk, our state and county could obligate businesses to broadly require masks, including customers, to protect front-line employees.

The apparent freedom not to wear a mask comes with a price: more and extended illness. Quoting the May 7 Observer editorial: “Just wear the stupid mask.” It’s a simple investment that will save countless lives.

Maria Gelabert, Rock Hill

Want the economy to rebound? Mask up.

It appears that a sufficiently large number of people in the U.S. are determined to keep the number of COVID-19 cases on the rise. Who are they — those who don’t wear masks, social distance, or wash their hands often enough. Failure to follow these simple guidelines will lead to unnecessary sickness, death and even greater harm to the economy. For those who complain about the U.S. not opening up, wise up and believe the health experts.

Kent Rhodes, Charlotte

Switzer is working to stem racism

Regarding “Ardrey Kell alumni call on principal David Switzer to resign,” (June 11):

I am a teacher at Ardrey Kell and have been for four years. While we do our very best to squelch the implicit biases students might harbor, we cannot fix or treat racist beliefs imbedded in students before they come into our school. Sometimes, as we have seen, those gross inherent beliefs manifest in situations that are beyond our control.

What is in the school’s control is our reaction to heinous racist acts. The staff has received education and resources to understand and stop systemic racism. Principal David Switzer has been a staunch advocate of propelling us toward racial equity.

I would not be working for an individual I thought was racist. I am tired of seeing his name and my school dragged through the mud for things we are actively remedying. Let us continue to work as a community to ensure that every student understands that #blacklivesmatter.

Kelly Schueneman, Charlotte

Symbolic fixes won’t solve racism

Renaming Fort Bragg, punishing the CEO of CPI, tearing down a statue of Robert E. Lee... Things like that are symbolic, but they do not get to the heart of racism. They don’t solve the problem of why it exists.

Two guys can sit face to face in a sports bar and discuss all day why they hate Duke or Carolina, but we don’t have those kinds of conversations about race. Until we do, we won’t get to the bottom of racism. Somebody somewhere needs to get the races and haters together for a candid, peaceful conversation about why racism is running rampant

Ted Holland, Cornelius

Local governments need Senate’s help

More money for local and state governments in the midst of our worst economic crisis since the Great Depression ought to be a no-brainer. With high levels of unemployment predicted to persist well into 2021, tax revenue will fall short of what is needed to maintain vital government services.

The HEROES Act maintains these vital services while we recover and also helps maintain Medicaid during a pandemic. The U.S. Senate should be as generous. If not, we will all pay the price.

Pat McCoy, Charlotte

This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 3:54 PM.