Andrew Oxford
A person approaches the Interfaith Community Shelter at Pete’s Place on a recent morning. Neighbors aruge in a lawsuit that proximty to the shelter has led to a decline in their property values.
News, May 24: “Piling On”
For Pete’s Sake
I live near Pete’s Place and this is what I and my neighbors have experienced: garbage strewn all over Harrison Avenue and Cerrillos Road; police vehicles with lights flashing parked next to the shelter; pedestrians in the street, oblivious to traffic, often blocking it; a masked man holding a rifle trying to stop cars, requiring police intervention; abandoned shopping carts in fields and parks; tents surrounded by beer cans and bottles; visits by strangers who squat on my property or ring my bell at 2 am, requiring police intervention; theft of my locked bike from a secured location on my property. I support Pete’s Place with occasional donations of goods, yet regardless of who’s right this is unsustainable. The neighborhoods surrounding the shelter are effectively sacrifice zones for the rest of the city. I hope the courts will do something to resolve this because Webber and the City Council certainly aren’t.
Scott Shuker, Santa Fe
Online—Ballot: “Best of Santa Fe”
Think of the Children!
I want to voice opposition to SFR including public schools in “Best Of” voting. Public schools are not businesses. A right-leaning voice has developed throughout the country promoting the idea that parents should be able to shop for the best public school like they are private schools or businesses. The Santa Fe public school system has greatly suffered, with families transferring rather than focusing on their district.
...What makes a public school successful is not as simple as “service” or “product.” Voting for a good hamburger does not require the same sort of nuanced thinking. Public school is a service to our democracy...Every child should be proud of their school. Imagine a child who loves their district reading their school is on the bottom of the list. Their image of their school does a lot to promote feelings about school long term. What you are proposing is short-sighted and harmful.
Kim Bannerman, Santa Fe
