Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters

Things are not always what they seem

This letter is in response to the articles in the July 3 and July 22 issues of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times about the 17-year-old charged with assaulting a police officer [with an automobile]. Many parents in the community who know the juvenile and his family are concerned for him. We believe he is innocent of "intent," and we do not feel the whole truth has been presented. A number of families in the community have started implementing plans for raising funds to help defray legal fees. Meanwhile, he remains in a high security unit of Juvenile Hall.

We value positive relations with the local police, and we wish our town's youth to have respect for police officers. It is in everyone's best interest to get to the complete truth of this incident as quickly as possible. In the meantime, it is important to realize that things are not always as they seem at first glance. There are always two sides to a story. In this instance, the "other side" is still waiting to be heard.

Sue Coates
Los Gatos

Every story has two sides

We are concerned parents, neighbors and friends who are trying to find the truth of what happened June 22 during the incident when a Los Gatos policeman was hit by a car. To find the whys, there was a support group started. This is not a black-and-white case as alleged. We know there is a problem with kids' parties and would like to work with the police to solve it, or at least make it better, not to divide into opposing factions.

We are looking for the truth, not to exonerate the child completely, but to show how the youth ended up in this situation and [to make the point] that nowhere does it show the youth was a part of vandalism or fighting. It was an unfortunate accident which needs to be prevented from happening again. We challenge the police to look into the facts.

These are not bad kids, and we challenge the kids to see the police as humans trying to do a worthwhile job. Let's make Los Gatos a place friendly to kids who have respect for adults.

Jan Goodwin
Catherine Graff
Patsy Gregg
Lillian Harms
Helen Doll
Carolyn Allisore
Joan Heller Azlant
Joanne Clark
David Box, and others
Los Gatos

Community needs to pay attention to drug problem

Reading about the explosion at the [likely] methamphetamine laboratory in Los Gatos made me think: I've lived here for two years now, after growing up in the East Bay. While I absolutely love this town and wouldn't want to raise my son anywhere else, I find it strange that the people here are constantly worrying about such petty issues.

Just to name two: A great new restaurant being named "Double D's" causing such a stir because a few people with nothing better to do thought it to have a double meaning. Also, some residents complaining about the dome on top of the new Crown Books being built looks ugly and doesn't fit into the "Los Gatos image."

While these people are busy complaining about such trivial things, we [may] have a drug lab amongst us in one of our beautiful, quiet neighborhoods. Yet, if there hadn't been an explosion, would anyone know what was going on? Probably not, because while residents are busy moaning about names and buildings, we have a much bigger problem right under our noses.

My suggestion? Stop being so ignorant and start paying more attention to what is really going on around us. Yes, even in a great town such as ours, drugs are a reality, but we'll never be able to combat the problem upfront because people are too busy worrying about unimportant issues.

I think some have forgotten this, but it's our children that are important. Remember that.

Doreen Henrichsen
Los Gatos

Why was just one side of story reported?

There are two sides to every story. The situation you described in two articles concerning the incidents on June 22, [which resulted in the arrest of a teenager for allegedly assaulting a police officer with a car], are disputed by the young adults involved. Knowing the teen, who has been in Juvenile Hall since the incident, I also know that he is innocent until proven guilty.

The heartache felt by the family of this young man is enhanced by the lack of journalistic integrity that is needed by all responsible reporters. I would hope that more than one side of this situation could be heard and reported in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times.

Eileen Perkins
Los Gatos

The Los Gatos Police Department does not release the names of minors who are arrested, and it is the newspaper's policy to respect this anonymity. Under the circumstances, we were unable to interview the teen who was arrested and had to rely primarily on police and juvenile authorities as sources for our stories. --Editor

New chamber wants to create umbrella for other groups

Thank you for the recognition given to the San Jose Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce in the July 17 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. We have indeed created a Chamber of Commerce with a dedicated board of directors from the Los Gatos community that works autonomous from our affiliate organization.

Our initial goals were to unite the business community in forming partnerships between the Downtown Association and the Boulevard Community Alliance. Our new chamber has initiated several strategic planning sessions with these organizations to create a partnership for the betterment of the Los Gatos community. Our intent was then and continues to be that each organization maintain its autonomy and have its own governing body. We are very close to this partnership now becoming a reality.

Our purpose is to work together, pooling resources with an office in the town of Los Gatos sharing the administrative and overhead expenses. Commonly, when there are requests for information, the caller requests the local Chamber of Commerce number.

Therefore the umbrella name would be the Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce with "divisions" representing the Downtown Association and the Boulevard Community Alliance. All incoming calls would be screened and routed to the appropriate entity.

It is unfortunate that the previous chamber and the downtown association suffered financial problems. We should not continue to beat ourselves up over this, but put it behind us and move on. What happened in the town of Los Gatos is very typical of what is happening throughout the country with organizations in smaller communities in today's environment. We are faced with fewer volunteers and fewer dollars. Regional partnerships such as we have proposed are being formed across the nation.

In the next few months, we will be asking for membership dollars for our new Chamber of Commerce to continue our role as this communities' business advocate. Our objective is to continue to create partnerships in order for the entire town to succeed in all arenas.

Robin Tole
Chairman of the Board
Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce

Why didn't police do more of an investigation?

The unfortunate death of George Barati raises many questions. Did the Los Gatos Police investigate? The incident took place at the northwest end of the Main Street bridge on June 11 at 9:15 p.m.

In spite of skull fractures to both sides and the rear of his head, the police had no reason to suspect foul play, according to news reports.

They suggested a possible car accident--yet, the body was found on the sidewalk behind a tree. There was a partial shoe print in the blood. Did the police check to see if the print was from an emergency attendant or someone else? Did they dust the bridge railing for fingerprints?

Did they search for a blunt weapon under the bridge or along the creek? Did they find the heavy window sash weights that a friend of mine found alongside the creek a week later? No, they did not. These weights are heavy, about 10 pounds each. They are about a foot long and made of solid pig-iron. And they have no rust on them from the winter rain.

The brutality evidenced could be from a drug-crazed psychopath. Do the police know there are several homeless drug users sleeping along the creek trail? These are just some of the questions this incident raises. It seems strange that more was not done.

Ed Hibbard
Los Gatos

Clarification

A July 24 news story in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times reported that Los Gatos police were recommending a juvenile charged with assault with a deadly weapon be tried as an adult. The juvenile was arrested June 22 after allegedly trying to run over a police officer with his car. Although authorities at Juvenile Hall told our reporter that a decision might be made at an Aug. 1 hearing, the District Attorney had already decided to try the 17-year-old as a juvenile.