PAPER FANS FLAMES

I, like most Columbus residents, was saddened by the tragic death of Mr.
Walker after his vehicle was stopped by local law enforcement personnel. My
heart goes out to Mr. Walker's family and friends. My heart also goes out
to Columbus as a whole.

This is not a racial issue; it is a community issue. I commend the sheriff
for his handling of this matter. I commend the law enforcement community as
a whole for generally being overworked, underpaid and putting their lives
on the line for the rest of us. When events go terribly wrong, we often
point fingers and then politicians put idiotic restrictions on law
enforcement so that they cannot do their jobs effectively or are put in
unnecessary danger. So my plea to the local government is this -- find out
what happened, maintain high standards for law enforcement, hire adequate
personnel and pay them a competitive wage.

The Ledger-Enquirer has not served the community well with selective
interviews. A minister was quoted as saying that she would sue over Mr.
Walker's death and that the incident was "the ugly old demon of racism
reappearing." Another minister's inflammatory statements revealed a
vindictive attitude based on an unproven cause-effect relationship.

Mr. Walker was a Columbus citizen. Just because he was also black does not
mean his death was racially motivated. Instead of perpetuating ignorance,
hate and mistrust by adhering to the Jerry Springer School of Journalism,
you could serve the community with balanced reporting.

J. KELLY SMITH JR.,

Columbus