When police can ‘stop and frisk’ again, crime rates will drop

If I have the numbers correct, 71 people were shot in Chicago last weekend, with 9 people killed. Yet we continue to hear politicians talk about how sad they are and spew political rhetoric. Organizations want to hold more peace marches, which accomplish nothing.

A good solution would be to let the police be the police. The practice of stopping and frisking works. The politicians just need to look at the locations where this happens, and stop constantly playing the race card.

Joey Battaglia, retired police officer, Southwest Side

Enforce fireworks ban

Fireworks start going off in Chicago on about Memorial Day and continue through at least July 5. If fireworks are illegal in the city, why are people allowed to use them with impunity? Enforce the law or take it off the books.

John Ibarra, Little Village

Know the past to move ahead

In his column about the need for a more truthfully teaching of American history, Neil Steinberg was preaching to the choir. People have forgotten that we put children in school to expand their minds, not to limit the information given to them.

The Republican Party thinks it can erase history. Wrong. And we’re paying a price for that now as people continue to avoid the realities of our past. Understanding our past should make our future clearer. Let’s not continue to go backward.

Fanchon Simons, Old Town