Thank you to Pam Louwagie, Aaron Lavinsky and the Star Tribune for the excellent article about John LaDue ("Trying to escape shadow of dread," May 21). It's a complicated situation, and it's absolutely understandable that people in Waseca, Minn., would be wary. I believe, as someone who works directly with people who are about to be released from prison, that LaDue and his family are making the right choices about how to move forward. I'm encouraged by John LaDue's realization that his behavior, not his words, is what will help his neighbors to allow him to reintegrate into the community, and I'm glad that he is taking steps that give him options. People wind up in prison because they have made disastrous choices, often because of mental illness or past trauma. I keep on with this work because I know it's possible to do just what LaDue seems to be doing: learn new ways of coping with stress, set new priorities, think differently, and keep showing up for work — all that work — every day.
Is it easy? Never. Ever.
But possible?
I know it is, if we commit to helping our neighbors who've done time by hiring them, renting to them, including them and keeping them accountable.
Baya Clare, St. Paul
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The article about LaDue makes me question his insight into what caused him to put into motion plans to kill his family and people in his community. I get no sense that he understands himself, or his motivations, or that he has put in the work or matured sufficiently that a reasonable person could say "I'm sure that's all in his past." While this is a sad situation for the LaDue family, it has the possibility to become a tragic one for Waseca. The court system made a mistake in allowing his treatment and supervision to end. An alert person gave us a chance to avoid a massacre; the courts should have given Waseca more of an assurance that John is no longer a threat.
Lisa Bennett, Minneapolis
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I hope that I am not the only white citizen who noted the difference in attitude toward a white child who held murderous thoughts and intent and the way that innocent black teens and early 20-year-olds have been treated by the police.
When will we give the same compassion, help and forgiveness to black children to rebuild their lives that society has afforded to John LaDue, a white child from Waseca, Minn.
Valerie Frank, Minneapolis
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With all of the important events, good and bad, taking place in our country and the world today, why, oh, why would the Star Tribune devote four and a half pages to one pathetic kid and his life?
Thank goodness for the New York Times!
Mary Jo Sutherland, Shorewood
'ASSAULT' ON NATURAL RESOURCES
A united response must also consider the political causes
Dennis Anderson's May 21 column ("Assault on resources needs united response") hit a nerve. He is absolutely accurate in a lack of vision for the environmental future of this state. The main state agency that might devise such a mission statement is the Department of Natural Resources, and that agency has been used as a punching bag by politicians who pretend that the DNR is not doing its job, all the while trying to remove environmental protections in the name of business. It needs to be vocal in pushback.
Nonprofit environmental groups are often too diverse to present a united front to force politicians to acknowledge that a strong majority of Minnesota's population want the environment protected or improved. Hunters, fishers, birders, campers, riders — all need to work together.
The Republican Party has unfortunately become an anti-environment party, which is ridiculous when it supposedly represents people who love hunting and fishing and live in the rural areas so at risk. Gov. Mark Dayton has been a real champion of the environment, and I hope he can continue to lead.
I grew up in northern Minnesota, but lived in upstate New York in the early 1980s. As my wife and I would drive across the endless cornfields of Ohio, we remarked how fortunate we were to live in Minnesota.
We're starting to look a lot like Ohio.
David Brockway, Hopkins
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Anderson's call for sportsmen's need to unite to protect Minnesota's natural resources and public spaces was spot-on in every way except stating the obvious.
Sportsmen are being hoodwinked by the NRA into thinking their sporting firearms are at risk, which I feel will never be the case in Minnesota. Thus, they support the very candidates and their policies who take deregulation to an extreme and wish to greatly reduce public lands. That will leave us holding our shotguns and rifles with no place to hunt nor game to pursue, unless you can consider a game farm sporting; and no water clean enough to consider the fish safe to eat.
Karl Samp, Brainerd, Minn.
POLICE BODY CAMERAS
Don't be fooled; they are valuable for transparency
The May 21 "Full Disclosure" article about the Minneapolis Police Department ("Few seem in a rush to see body cam video") could easily mislead the public into thinking that the city's investment in police body cameras was a waste of precious resources. As chief Hennepin County public defender, I can assure you that it was not.
Our lawyers obtain body cam video from prosecutors in a significant number of cases as part of the normal exchange of information when someone is charged with a crime. Our staff spends countless hours carefully watching the footage as part of our representation of our clients.
The opportunity for prosecutors, public defenders and judges to see video interactions between Minneapolis police officers and our clients has led to justice that many of them would not have received before the arrival of body cams.
In the criminal-justice system, body cam video is improving transparency and increasing the accountability of police officers.
Mary F. Moriarty, Minneapolis
EDITORIAL CARTOONS
Thanks for historical coverage; now, improve today's choices
I would like to compliment Steve Sack and the Star Tribune for the wonderful coverage of editorial cartoonists during its history ("Professional pictorial pontificators," May 21). I remember with fondness the storytellers of the last 60 years as a reader. I am pleased to be reminded of the days when editorial cartoonists' work was on the pages for their commentary on the issues and not their position on the political spectrum. It is pretty clear to me as a lover of editorial cartoons that the paper has moved more to using cartoonists who have a particular leaning, such as Michael Ramirez. He dependably presents a conservative point of view, no matter what issues are out there to bring to our attention. "Ya ne znayu" — I don't know — is what he has to say regarding the Russian election interference. Please bring back content-oriented cartoonists. With most issues there are not two sides. Thanks, Mr. Sack.
