To the Editor:
Re “Joy, Rage and Suspicion: Complex Alchemy Shapes a Protest Movement” (news article, July 28):
President Trump could still win in November, and as so often in politics, optics could well play the decisive role. If Mr. Trump wins, any civil rights gains we’ve worked for — and, many think, our democracy — will go down the drain.
I worry that protesters destroying property or retaliating against federal forces, however justified, are playing right into Mr. Trump’s hands, in his latest dirty tactic to win re-election. (I am heartened to hear that federal forces may leave Portland, but the issue spans beyond Portland.) Mr. Trump has almost certainly deployed these forces to provoke protesters into violence, so he can claim our streets are volatile and dangerous and his heavy-handed brand of law and order is needed for another four years. And, unfortunately, many swing voters may buy that, if news seems to confirm it.
In hindsight, we may see that what happens at these protests now was a tragic fork in the road for the election. So I’m begging protesters to refrain from violence or property damage, and asking movement leaders to please immediately declare that the movement denounces these tactics — loudly, unequivocally and virally.
Sam Brewton
Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
To the Editor:
Re “Under Fire, Barr Defends Actions Against Protests” (front page, July 29):
All lawyers learn, in their first days in law school, that the “appearance of justice” is at the core of a just system of justice. The most shocking thing about William Barr’s testimony before Congress on Tuesday was his total lack of concern for maintaining any appearance of justice in his words and actions.
Rather, he made clear that defending Donald Trump from all critics, foreign and domestic, was his job as attorney general of the United States. How sad to see an important member of the legal profession so diminish the profession.
Lawrence D. Ross
Florham Park, N.J.
To the Editor:
The fires of the pandemic and protests rage on across the nation. President Trump continues his assault on the truth to find a political footing that suits him. William Barr continues to cement his position in history as our worst attorney general since John Mitchell. Americans face the uncertainties of the pandemic, and millions have to wonder why the Republican leadership see them as not worthy of the benefits that have kept so many going these last few months. What, really, is there left to say?
The time for people, just average people, to make decisions is upon us, the most important of which boils down to what kind of government we will send back to Washington. The contrast in the choice could not be more stark. The voters need to make a strong statement, because the choice this year may well dictate the course of the nation for generations to come. This year, the buck stops with us.
Bruce Neuman
Water Mill, N.Y.