“Don’t mock someone else’s tragedy
Dear Editor:
Your story “Nightmare on the MTA” was great. It was interesting, funny, and had a little touch of the twilight zone. Everything was funny except for the part when you wrote “having been on a train that had gruesomely run someone over was something to brag about.” It was inconsiderate of you, because this was a life being taken away and you make it sound something to brag about. Please try not to emphasize how glad you are of the tragic problem that occurs in the story.
Ezequiel Mancilla,
Locke High School
Give Catholicism a chance
Dear Editor:
I am very sorry that Wendy Sanchez (“Why I’m Not Catholic Anymore” Jan.-Feb. 1996) has decided to leave the teaching of the Catholic Church, but I respect her conscientious decision to search for religious principles she feels she “can agree with.”
I just wonder, though, how well Ms. Sanchez learned the teaching of the Catholic Church before making such a life changing decision. Did she attend religious education classes? Did she make her first Holy Communion? Did she regularly take part in the life of the Church? Did she pray and read the Bible daily? Does she know about the history of the Church and some of the great saints-our heroes and heroines? Did she participate in the Confirmation preparation program in her church’s youth group or Christian service outreach?
I ask these questions because it is very important to know what one is rejecting when one turns away from one’s religious community. I hope Ms. Sanchez’s decision not being a Catholic was truly an informed choice and not one based solely on feelings as her article seems to suggest.
Rev. Gregory Coiro, O.F.M. Cap.
Director of Media Relations Archdiocese
Dear Editor:
Congratulations! Yesterday was the first time I read LA Youth. I did not know about it and believe me I really liked it.
I especially liked the articles about immigration. My case is a little bit different. I was born here but when I was four years old, my parents decided to go back to Mexico. So I grew up there, but the problem is the same. Sometime I feel like people do not accept me, although I am not a “wet back” because my English is not good at all. I try to do better every day.
Martha Rodriguez,
EVANS Adult School
Thanks for writing about the prejudice Latinos face
Dear Editor:
As a Latina teenager I realize that this country is not fair to us. We work for so little money but do so much.
One day my grandmother came home from work really tired. She had cleaned a house from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and got paid $40 dollars for it. I was angry and sad at the same time because of how my beautiful people work so much and settle for less. Hopefully all this racism will stop and everybody will realize that every race contributes to this country.
Mayra Herrera, Locke High School
Dear Editor:
I think your article “Hate Can Hurt as Much as Sticks and Stones,” was interesting because I had never seen or read about people who don’t like Mexicans. Reading it made me want to slap the person who said those things to my own kind. It does hurt as much as sticks and stones.
Aileen Guzman
Dear Editor:
I think your Spanish section is great because many people cannot read English very well and they see your newspaper. And you also have good articles about immigrant programs.
Angel Ochoa
Dear Editor:
As I was reading the November issue of LA Youth, I found a section with an article on the cost for undocumented students who want to go to college. I got mad and sorry for those student who are unable to go to college. The prices are too expensive. For those who want to go to community college, it would cost about $390 a semester. At a university, nonresidents must pay about $3,320 a semester. I think that’s racist. How can these schools decide who attends based on who has the money? Just because I’m a resident that does not mean I’m any better than anybody else. The reason I wrote this letter is to find out why college is so expensive for non-resident students.
Nery Guerrero, 17
We must work together to end dating violence
Dear Editor:
Thank you for publishing “Twisted Love.” I was in an abusive relationship. It was really hard for me to accept the truth. I was afraid of him. We had plans to get married, but I knew deep inside that a marriage wasn’t going to happen. I was with him because I thought that he was going to change. He hurt me so emotionally that I had to go the hospital for depression. We decided to break up because he needed help. He realized that he was acting like his father. This article made me feel better to know that I was not the only one in this situation.
Cindy Aguilar, 17,
Banning High School
Dear Editor:
Dating violence happens more often than we would like to admit. Violence against women should be put to an end. My sister tried to kill herself because her ex-boyfriend was beating her and she spent six months in a mental institution. She has recovered from that experience but she hasn’t been able to really trust males. I think this article informs women about how abusive guys can really be.
Brad Lawhead, 17,
Verdugo Hills High
Dear Editor:
I have just finished reading your newspaper for the first time. A lot of articles were interesting to me, but I really liked the one written by Kemi Akinwale about Ken Saro-wiwa, the activist who was executed in Nigeria. It reminded me of so many people out there who try to help by stopping injustices. I feel satisfaction that there are still people who care about the world. My heart goes out to all the Nigerians who have suffered and are still suffering. Truly R.I.P. Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Alfred Jimenez, 16,
Hollywood High
Dear editor,
I’m pleased that many people, like you, care about what happens in our lives.
I’m 20 and applying for many jobs. I’d like to work and go to college part-time. I’ve had interviews, but I don’t get the job. Many people are skeptical of teens. They look at me and think twice about hiring me. It seems that many employers don’t want young, enthusiastic, high-spirited minds to contribute to their business. I hope that LA Youth helps me to find a job out there.
Adrian Rios V.
Dear Editor:
Although I’m 49, I read your paper when I can find it. I agree with your “Hate Can Hurt” article. I’ve just written to President Clinton about my having to carry so much idenification for when I cross the Mexican border, on vacation. I’m a black native American (as well as European). That mixture has people assuming I’m from another country.
I recently got followed by the police when I was searching for two lost dogs in a wealthy neighborhood, after dark. That’s why I decided to go to law school myself so I can stop these kinds of injustices.
Valentine’s day, I was at a radio station event at the mall. As we stood around the door price table, police came over, although security guards were already there. They made a guy who was wearing his hat backwards take it off. He wasn’t doing anything. Two other guys who wore backwards hats were not bothered.
I’ve seen Latinos yelled at by the police for sitting on a pubic bench. One of my co-workers had been stopped on the way to work for driving a small truck. The police told him that he must be a gang member.
Connie Craig”