'Gilbert Goons' absolutely should be charged as a criminal street gang
The take on not wanting to pile on criminal street gang charges for the “Gilbert Goons” is certainly in the minority.
For any of the families affected by their violence, the last thing they would want is lighter sentences. These wannabe gangsters acted like they owned the East Valley.
Singling out a future victim, luring them to a location, unleashing six or seven to one beatings, threatening future violence if the police were called with texts with pictures of a barrel of a gun pointing at them, and showing up in ski masks at targeted homes.
They should be treated like the people they tried to portray.
For any fringe goons that maybe did not throw a punch or kick but stood on the sidelines receiving videos or worse, taking videos, the threat of being labeled a part of a gang should be sobering.
For those in custody for murder, enhanced sentences will provide peace of mind to the East Valley community that their children can go to school, hang out at a burger joint, go to a park and enjoy their youth.
Maybe Gilbert can live up to its moniker as the “Safest City in America,” not a city where punks run rampant and the police department turns a blind eye.
Darin DuMolin, Chandler
Who steals this stuff, really?
I have never had a box stolen from my porch. But my neighbors have, and according to the local online newsletter, it’s a big problem.
I sometimes wonder what people order that keeps porch pirates coming back for more.
Here are just a few of the things they would find on my porch:
Frozen rats. I order them in lots of 20 for my daughter’s snakes.
Many, many dog-related items. Water buffalo ears (less greasy than the pig ears, which I have also ordered), kidney care dog food, dried cow lung, poop bags and lots of bully sticks. (For the uninitiated, bully sticks are dried cow penises. They smell awful, but dogs love them.)
Replacement filters for the air purifier. Lots of them. We live in a desert. It’s dusty. I have dogs. ‘Nuff said.
I’m excited when my boxes arrive, but I just can’t see a teenager jumping for joy. I suspect most people’s orders are about as mundane as mine. It should be enough to drive a porch pirate to look for legitimate work.
Marilyn Newbry, Mesa
Ballot counting is still a joke
There was an article in The Arizona Republic detailing the Arizona ballot counting process.
I found it distressing that in 2024, after Arizona’s ballot counting processes have been the subject of jokes due to the issues encountered during the last three election cycles, they still remain as archaic as was detailed in this article.
There seems to be so many areas where something illegal could take place. It should not take days or weeks to produce accurate election results.
Florida was embarrassed several election cycles ago due to the “Hanging Chad” incident. They apparently learned from this and revised their ballot counting process, and are now able to provide their results within hours of their polls closing.
Maybe Arizona should benchmark the Florida process. As long as Arizona keeps moving ballots all over the state and doesn’t have an election result for days or weeks, the subject of election fraud will always be an issue, no matter who wins or loses.
Rick Schwartz, Florence
Kari Lake, let 2022 go, already
Kari Lake and company, are once again, in the headlines. This time to appeal to SCOTUS.
They are, once again, trying to prove, without any evidence, or totally disproved “fake” evidence, that the outcome of the 2022 election was rigged. It is now 2024. And said company is once again, running for office.
We already know the outcome of this election. If she wins, it is because of her efforts alone to secure the Arizona election process. If she loses, she will once again claim a “rigged election.”
More letters: This will only make housing crisis worse
It is becoming so that the average Arizona citizen, Democrat or Republican, cannot escape this mindless craziness that has taken over politics.
I, for one, once again, am sick and tired of reading about Kari Lake and company’s whining and sour grapes. If she loses once again, do we have to hear about it until 2028? Just how old does this have to get?
Gloria Smith, Scottsdale
Why we define rights broadly
In his opinion piece on March 12, Dr. Anthony Levatino argued that the proposed abortion rights amendment relies on “loose definitions” and therefore shouldn’t be supported.
Dr. Levatino also has a law degree. Does he think the First Amendment relies too heavily on “loose definitions” because it doesn’t explicitly say what type of speech is protected or what “peaceably assemble” actually means?
Is the Second Amendment “loose” to him because it doesn’t clearly outline what constitutes a “well regulated” militia?
When the framers were enshrining fundamental rights in the Constitution, they deliberately used broad language so that their general intent could be understood. Over the centuries, the courts have decided whether or not laws violated those rights, and whether the government had a compelling interest or reason to do so.
The proposed abortion amendment establishes a fundamental right while giving legislators and courts a framework for regulating the procedure. It doesn’t give doctors carte blanche to perform abortions on a lark, just like the First Amendment doesn’t give Dr. Levatino carte blanche to shout “fire” in a crowded theater.
Chris Radice, Peoria
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Gilbert Goons' should be charged as a criminal street gang
