I am one of those “naïve and uniformed people” Chas Gaertner mentioned who have purchased an apartment at 140 West Franklin Street (CHN, April 4, http://bit.ly/Hswig4).

My naiveté and lack of information probably comes from my 44 years of living in Chapel Hill and teaching at the UNC Law School as well as my four years as mayor. My wife, Margie, and I put our down payment on the apartment a few months ago and are, oddly it seems, very much looking forward to moving there.

Rather than being concerned, as Mr. Gaertner suggests, about “roaring music and screaming parties,” we are looking forward to pleasant strolls down Franklin Streets to the many excellent restaurants. We are also looking forward to having an easy and pretty walk to Memorial Hall events, the Ackland Art Museum, the Morehead Planetarium and the many intellectual events that take place on the UNC campus.

And while 140 West Franklin will be a retail and residential complex and not a park, there will be an elegant plaza that will lend itself to gatherings and outdoor events. And unlike a park, 140 West will generate much needed tax dollars for – something that would have been lacking in a public park.

We are betting that 140 West Franklin will provide the spark that will turn our still vibrant downtown into an even more attractive place for all residents, of all ages and stations in life, to enjoy. As an indication of the likelihood of success of the project, well more than half of the market-priced apartments have been sold.

Ken Broun

Chapel Hill

Celebrate

multiculturalism

I sincerely hope that our school district stays representative of the values in our community, which celebrates diversity and multiculturalism. These values are echoed in our dual language (DL) programs (CHN, April 1, http://bit.ly/HdbXG1).

The DL programs not only teach our children foreign languages effectively, they teach our children to respect and want to learn about not only the target (ie, Spanish or Chinese) culture, but all cultures, through the process of opening curious minds to a global world. Children that are of the target language blossom and take pride in their own language, while learning English more quickly and thoroughly than through ESL services.

Children entering school who do not speak English can often withdraw, or learn to "adapt" and try to hide everything about themselves that is different. Our DL programs through its very nature let children know, “We want to learn about you! We want to teach you about us! We are all valued!” Even children entering the Chinese DL program who speak neither Chinese nor English as their first language do well in this program because everyone lets them know, “It’s OK to speak another language, we are all struggling at times, and we are all learning!”

I hope the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district keeps both Spanish and Chinese programs going, instead of eliminating the Chinese while expanding the already larger Spanish program. I believe eliminating Chinese DL, especially as suddenly as is proposed, would be very damaging to our children, as they will be uprooted from the system they’ve been nurtured in. We have more than one minority population in our community, and more than one global language that will benefit our children in the future. I hope CHCCS decides it values all of the above as much as the community we live in does.

Ardra Salemy

Chapel Hill

Tantamount to rape

I am a 72 year-old-grandmother. It is part of my culture to believe it is not appropriate for me remove my clothing in the presence of anyone other than my husband or my doctor. It is also part of my culture to protest injustice, sometimes including passive civil disobedience.

If I participate in passive civil disobedience to protest the Supreme Court’s decision regarding strip searches, I am putting myself in danger of being arrested and strip searched, which I can assure you I would experience as cruel and unusual punishment – tantamount to rape, actually.

I’m sure there are examples of this kind of authoritarian rule in numerous cultures. For me this brings to mind Auschwitz.

Nancy Park

Chapel Hill

Neccessary step

We thank Mayor Kleinschmidt and the Chapel Hill Town Council for passing the cell-phone driving ban and accompanying education program on March 26. As councilmember Jim Ward reminded us, safety trumps convenience. This ban is a necessary first step to maintain and enhance the safety on our roads.

Ben Levitan, Yael Filossof, Tom Crosby, Terry Hudgins, Diane Slough, Krista Slough, Jillian Casey, Karen Turner, Wally Hannum, Arne Kalleberg, Joe

Capowski

Chapel Hill

Phoners' photos

I applaud the town of Chapel Hill for taking a stance on cellphone use while driving in Chapel Hill, period! If the town feels that it can enforce something so simple, why can't other towns do the same?

Police cars have cameras – catching cellphone users while they're driving is obvious. If red light cameras were effective catching red light runners, what's the difference in police cars capturing cellphone users on camera? Capture driver with phone, capture license plate number, send ticket!

Maybe if towns put out the word they are following Chapel Hill and say police have the authority to use their cameras to capture cellphone users, people would think twice about using a phone while driving, whether the police are following through with the camera use or not.

The “Texting while Driving” ad says it all: You can't concentrate on two things at once, especially when driving and talking/texting on the phone! I can write a book on the near misses I've had due to careless cellphone use.

Terry Kelly

Apex

Friends oppose

Amendment One

The Chapel Hill Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends is in unity in its opposition to the proposed Amendment One. This proposed amendment is discriminatory and, based on experience with similar legislation in other states, has the potential to harm children and families, weaken legal protection against domestic violence, and harm unmarried senior citizens. We do not believe that it offers any positive value to our citizens and that it threatens the welfare of many.

Carolyn White

Clerk, Chapel Hill Friends Meeting (Quaker)

Adopt a nonviolent diet

With April 1st just behind us, it appears that the meat industry is playing us as April Fools by hiding its violations of humane and sanitary laws.

Under intense pressure from the meat lobby, Iowa and Utah have enacted the infamous “ag-gag” laws that criminalize taking or possessing photographs and videotapes documenting the atrocious treatment of animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses. Six other state legislatures (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and New York) have been considering such legislation.

As these bills were being debated, the head of the World Health Organization forecast the “end of modern medicine,” unless the meat industry stops its wholesale use of antibiotics. Industry uses these drugs to ensure that animals survive the extreme crowding of factory farms.

Each of us has a choice to make on the next trip to the local supermarket. We can continue to subsidize the inhumane and unsanitary conditions hidden by the meat industry and condemned by the World Health Organization. Or, we can elect a wholesome nonviolent diet of vegetables, fruits, and grains recommended by leading health authorities.

Colin Barnett

Chapel Hill