Tahoe Park residents oppose newly proposed music venue | Letters to the Editor
Flee to survive
“Roseville drag show shut down due to conservative backlash,” (sacbee.com, March 7)
This fun idea sprang from the creative minds and hearts of youth in the LGBTQ+ peer support group, The Landing Spot, not adults. So-called Christians “discovered” it and stoked fear among ill-informed community members. Threats to churches, youth participants and event cancellation ensued, and the drag show was incorrectly cast as sexual and “inappropriate” for minors — the very same cohort who came up with the idea. These rantings have shamefully placed the Christian faith (again) on the side of ensuring Roseville is a community that our young people feel they must flee to survive.
Religious rhetoric that leads to queer children committing suicide, or young people being taught to hate, harass and ostracize those who don’t conform to their (not the Bible’s) beliefs about gender, is anti-Christian. I grew up in Roseville and love this community. But do we want a city where adults threaten teenagers? A loving Jesus says no.
Pastor Amanda Sheldon-Park
Elk Grove
Supporting youth
“Roseville drag show shut down due to conservative backlash,” (sacbee.com, March 7)
The Landing Spot’s youth drag show is a fundraiser for a summer camp organized specifically for local LGBTQ+ youth. Due to misinformed members of the community pressuring the Roseville Joint Union High School District with hysterics and lies, the permit to hold this fundraiser at the Roseville High School auditorium was rescinded, doing harm to the queer and trans youth in Roseville, and in greater Placer County.
The Landing Spot and Camp Fruit Loop are important, life-saving resources for local LGBTQ+ youth and their families. Studies confirm that LGBTQ+ youth who feel supported by at least one adult in their lives, (be that a parent, teacher or other trusted adult), are much more likely to thrive at home, at school and in life, and far less likely to suffer poor mental health or engage in risky behaviors such as substance abuse, contemplating suicide or becoming involved in unhealthy relationships.
Daniella Zimmerman
Board member, PFLAG Greater Placer County
Advocate
“CA’S CARE Act is cruel, not the solution to homelessness,” (sacbee.com, Feb. 24)
Many of those with severe mental illness who seem abandoned to the streets actually have a family like mine somewhere who are combing encampments, struggling to find housing for those too paranoid to use them and trying to convince people to accept care. There are families who house their loved ones, but sleep behind locked doors and hide their knives because they know paranoia and delusions sometimes cause people to do things they would never do in their right minds.
Families are the backbone of care; it is families who are there 24/7 year after year.
Despite receiving tax revenue to represent all disabled persons, Disability Rights California is derelict in protecting the people for whom the CARE Act was created: those who, because they suffer from psychosis, receive no treatment at all.
Patricia Fontana
Families Advocating for the Seriously Mentally Ill
Berkeley
Planned disaster
“New music venue approved for Sacramento, CA. See where.” (sacbee.com, March 11)
Unable to keep revelers safe in midtown and downtown, the city’s planning commission, without approval from the city council, has approved a venue where nearly 2,000 people may gather two to three times a week in the Tahoe Park neighborhood.
There will almost certainly be problems related to noise, traffic, security and safety when you have almost 2,000 people gathered in one place. There will be vague, poorly written and difficult to enforce “conditions,” none likely to be enforced. As is their usual custom, and despite their proximity to the venue, Sacramento State takes no position on the issue, so as not to risk the ire of those “re-envisioning” the area.
Bill Motmans
Sacramento
Wrong priorities
“New music venue approved for Sacramento, CA. See where.” (sacbee.com, March 11)
I find it amazing that people living in the area were not notified of this venue. I live in the Tahoe Park area, and this is the first I have heard of this. It seems the city council is more moved by venues of music and sports than fixing problems.
It’s amazing that the priorities of the city do not include making it a better place to live instead of making sure Melissa Etheridge will play her music here.
Kathleen E Winkelman
Sacramento
PG&E’s problems
“SMUD, PG&E outages: Storm knocks out power to customers in Northern California,” (sacbee.com, March 1)
I nominate PG&E as the worst-regulated utility in the United States. When PG&E was granted its monopoly to deliver power, it had no reason to provide good service to its customers. Why bother if the money keeps rolling in?
Durable and fireproof infrastructure is an expense that PG&E does not want to pay because it lowers its stock price on the New York Stock Exchange. As an example, PG&E has left tree trimming to Mother Nature. If PG&E cared, they would have a special hotline for the public to report hazardous trees.
Curtis Panasuk
Sacramento