LETTERS
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About Vang Pao “Who will lead the Hmong?” (Cover story, by Stephen Maganini, Aug. 1): I thought you might be interested in this passage, pages 138-139, from Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It refers to what happened to the Hmong almost immediately after the fall of Saigon. “Hmong fought to board … aircraft. Several times the planes were so overloaded they could not take off, and dozens of people standing near the door had to be pushed out onto the airstrip. On May 14, Vang Pao, in tears, told the assembled crowd, ‘Farewell, my brothers, I can do nothing more for you’ … and [he] boarded an evacuation helicopter. ... [M]ore than 10,000 Hmong were left on the airfield, fully expecting more aircraft to return. When it became apparent that there would be no more planes, a collective wail arose
from the crowd and echoed against the mountains.” Michele French Chico
Questions remain Re “Council Ring confrontation” (Newslines, by Andre Byik and Meredith J. Cooper, Aug. 1): In your coverage of the incident at Bidwell Park involving an 11-year-old girl, retired peace officer David Blake expresses the difficulty of knowing exactly what occurred. The videos do not tell the whole story, but they do tell a critical part: use of force on a child by law enforcement personnel. Chico PD would not release the police report to us, which is why Concerned Citizens for Justice (CC4J) raised these questions in our press release: 1. Was the child a danger to herself or others? Was restraint essential for her protection or the protection of the officers or public? 2. What effort was made to defuse the situation? What de-escalation techniques were used?
3. Did the police contact the Butte County’s Behavioral Health team or Children’s Services? 4. Were the law enforcement officers sufficiently trained in de-escalation techniques? CC4J will speak out when such situations arise. We want a transformation of culture where officers are thoroughly trained in de-escalation, where de-escalation becomes the first response in every crisis, and force used only when other alternatives have been exhausted. This will build trust and respect between the community and law enforcement, and make our community more safe. Diane Suzuki-Brobeck Chico
Editor’s note: Readers can find videos of the altercation at tinyurl. com/CopsKids. I support Concerned Citizens for Justice. I agree that the police need better training for dealing with these situations. I understand that the 11-year-old girl who ran away from LETTERS C O N T I N U E D
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