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Berkeley Voice letters: Inappropriate reading material for teenagers; ambassador program questioned; concerns about increased minimum wage

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Teens have easy access to ”smut”

Recently, I failed to get Amir Abrams” novel, “Caught Up,” removed from the Berkeley Public Library teen shelf. The reply from the library director was, “The content in the book does include drug use and sex, and is written as a cautionary tale for teens.”

As a result, youngsters ages 14 to 17 get to experience: a sixth-grade girl forced to perform a sex act; a gang bang at a party with drugs and alcohol; extraordinarily lewd behavior; and lots of bad language.

Public library teen shelves throughout the country containing this book include San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Dallas and New Orleans. This kind of writing is called “street lit,” or urban fiction, which the public was warned about in 2006 through The New York Times” aptly titled editorial, “Their eyes were reading smut.”

At the Rockridge Branch in Oakland, many such books labeled as young adult are on display with their lurid covers in their “Teen Zone.” I”ve never seen such promotion of a genre!

All library and library-friendly sites on the Internet admit that “street lit” is controversial. However, the reason there is no controversy or outcry is because not enough taxpayers are aware of what publicly funded libraries are making available to teens.

Thomas Lynch

Berkeley

On minimum wage increase

In a recent letter, Nicholas Arzio advocated that El Cerrito follow Berkeley, Richmond, Emeryville, Oakland and San Francisco in raising the minimum wage.

Perhaps Arzio has not noticed the news coverage of businesses leaving those cities for that reason. Thus far it”s mostly restaurants, that are leaving, 10 of them from Oakland Chinatown. UC Irvine economist David Neumark found that each 10 percent hike in the minimum wage causes a 1 to 2 percent drop in youth employment.

The measures Arzio advocates would increase youth unemployment in El Cerrito by about 10 percent. Perhaps a better idea is for El Cerrito to make efforts to get those businesses leaving other nearby cities to move to El Cerrito. That will increase the prosperity of the city and its tax base.

But such forward-looking economics apparently has not occurred to the El Cerrito Democratic Club, of which Arzio is the vice president.

James Benford

Lafayette

Does program deny rights?

In her April 10 column, “Video brings justice for Berkeley homeless men,” Tammerlin Drummond writes, “After all, one of the ambassadors” main jobs is to ”discourage problematic street behavior” by asking people with no place to live to move when a business or individual complains.”

I am appalled that the second ambassador, who stopped a second man from protecting his friend against repeated assault, continues to work in a job that requires fairness toward the poor.

If, in fact, their job is to move along people who are committing no crime, the program should be scrapped as unconstitutional.

Carol Denney

Berkeley

Right to own arms upheld

This is in reply to the April 1 letter in the Times by Terry Horner, “Let”s hear from police on gun control.”

Contrary to Horner”s hoplophobic letter, the interpretation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution — as guaranteeing to the individual citizen the right to keep and bear arms — as upheld by the Supreme Court in the Washington, D.C. and Chicago cases, is not an “erroneous interpretation,” but correct.

Compared to the other Western states, California has an excessive number of anti-gun laws. As a guess, I would say that the majority of the police chiefs and sheriffs in California are anti-gun. I also venture to guess that the majority of the rank-and-file officers are pro-gun and support the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms, as guaranteed by Article II of the Bill of Rights, and as upheld by the Supreme Court.

David R. Russell

Berkeley

Disappointed in slowdown

President Barack Obama”s decision to slow the withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan is a profound disappointment.

One of the many reasons I voted for then-Senator Obama in 2008 was the hope that, as president, he would expeditiously remove all of our courageous troops from that hellhole.

Targeting Osama bin Laden was our primary reason for invading Afghanistan in 2001. That mission has been satisfied, but our presence in the country wasn”t a factor in that success. Now our troops are being misused to perpetuate a corrupt government.

This war of more than 13 years has dragged on far too long, at an intolerable cost to America of precious and irreplaceable lives and treasure.

President Obama has said he opposes our involvement in “stupid war.” Afghanistan is a stupid war!

Ronald Entwistle

San Pablo

Private emails not the issue

The Republicans are not really concerned about Hillary Clinton”s email system.

It is just another one of their tactics against potential Democratic presidential candidates. It is a tactic of divide, confuse and, thus, hope to win.

Based upon their actual policies, the GOP cannot win the White House — their major goal. If a Republican president were elected, that president would appoint more Supreme Court Justices favorable to the GOP agenda, ensuring total control. All else is secondary for the Republicans.

Clinton is strong enough to deflect any and all future attacks because the voters will consider their source. The Democrats have real policies that serve real people and our nation.

Gil Patchett

Richmond
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