Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us May 24, 2005 Tidings failed to be impartial By Peter Stanley Bangkok, Thailand I grew up in Ashland with two older brothers. We all knew Dirk well. As the little annoying brother, I would tag along when they went skiing at Mt. Ashland. Of all of my brother's friends, Dirk was the most encouraging. He was quiet, yet always willing to give me pointers to improve my skiing. I went on to race for my college in Colorado and still to this day remember Dirk’s positive and thoughtful advice. After reading the Tidings article it is clear that the paper sides with the actions taken by the police department. It glorifies these acts of the police while using quotes that only make Dirk sound like a mad man. While I am thankful for the police decision not to use lethal weapons, I am frustrated with the manner in which your article makes them sound like heroes. A journalist’s duty is to report the news without accusation and glorification yet your article does both — accuses Dirk and glorifies the police. Dirk clearly needed support before this incident and if the police recognized this, (“We’d been concerned with his mental health for a while,” Officer Selby said) then why didn’t they previously step in as “keepers of the peace,” which may have prevented any incident in the first place. The ridiculous part of all of this is that he had been charged with “attempted murder” and his bail is set at more than 1 million dollars. Dirk is no murderer. He is a caring individual who hasn’t been lucky enough to connect with the right doctor or counselor. The worst thing in the world that could happen now is for Dirk to be sentenced to prison. My brother suffers from mental illness and it has taken our family and friends 10 long years of patience and hard work to help him reach a functional and fruitful life. It isn’t a one-stop fix either. To help people with mental illness takes a lot of work. It takes love, it takes understanding and it takes time. It is not achieved by beautifying the action of peace officers, who have done well to detain someone but have failed to use preventative measures (support through guidance) that would have avoided the incident in the first place. Thank you for understanding my concerns and sharing this matter with the public who deserve to see the “grey” area in this not so black and white case. (NOTE: I just read your letters to the editor‚ today and am very pleased that there are many voicing their similar opinion on this matter). Peter Stanley is a former Ashland resident teaching science and math in Thailand. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams