Thanks to Sun
I volunteer for our school’s Pageant, SB 5/10K and SaveOurBeach. Thanks for the great coverage for our pageant on the front page today! It will sure help get the word out to alumni!
Karen Narz-Ferretti
Seal Beach
(From the Sun Facebook page.)
SB Run spots running out
As of Sunday, April 15, there are less than 250 spots left and only three days remaining to register!
Elizabeth Kane
Seal Beach
Los Al Chamber thanks our sister newspaper
Thank you for the beautiful articles and photos in the March 28 issue of News enterprise, a sister publication of the Sun.]
We greatly appreciate it could couldn’t do it without them.
Los Alamitos Area Chamber of Commerce
Is that a crime?
Is free speech now a crime? In the April 11 issue of the News Enterprise, I read this entry in the Police Log section and I quote the entire article:
Tuesday, March 27
Illegal Peddler — 3:54 a.m. — Cerritos Avenue — Caller reported a male in his 30s, wearing a black hat, was talking to kids from the high school on the street and possibly handing out religous pamphlets. Caller thought the man looked suspicious and requested he be checked out.
The subject stated that he was preaching and had freedom of speech. Subject was advised and went on his way.
(Editor’s note: the time should have been 3:54 p.m. The item appeared in a slightly different form in the April 12 edition of the Sun.)
Perhaps there was a typo in the article and perhaps the time should have been 3:54 p.m. as 3:54 a.m. would be a very unsocial hour for most people to be up and about.
According to the article the person was doing three things:
1. Talking to kids from the high school
2. Possibly handing out religious pamphlets
3. Preaching
The article begs the question: Is any of the above a crime? Do any of the above even constitute suspicious activity?
Though I often wear a black hat and I do some street preaching, I was not the person involved nor was I present at the time and I learned of this incident only through reading the News Enterprise.
As I was not present at the time, I do not know who the person is, nor do I know what literature he was handing out, nor do I know what he was preaching so I cannot vouch for or against any of those things. However I can vouch for his Constitutional right to do what he was doing.
Amendment I of the United States Constitution says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The article ends by saying, “Subject was advised and went on his way.” Again, I was not there so I do not know what transpired between the person and the officer(s). This begs the following questions: Did the police intimidate the person into shutting down his preaching and leaving? What would have happened had the person “stood his ground” instead of leaving? I do not want to make any accusations against the police as I was not present, yet I am concerned that the right of free speech be respected.
If the powers that be are able to terminate freedom of speech, freedom of the press could be next.
Dale Parkes
Los Alamitos
Sun Poll results
“Should the Bay City Partners property, former site of the Department of Water and Power plant, be zoned for affordable housing?”
Sun readers voted:
Yes—45.45 percent
No—54.55 percent
The Seal Beach City Council on Monday, April 9 voted unanimously against including the Bay City Partners property as a potential site for affordable housing.
The opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of the Sun. The Sun welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters should be 300 words maximum. Letters should be e-mailed, signed by the author and include the author’s address and phone number (the latter two are for verification, not publication). The Sun reserves the right to accept, edit, or reject letters for any reason. Unless otherwise indicated, all letters sent to the Sun are understood to be intended for publication. E-mail letters to: dennis@sunnews.org.
