All groups must unite to fight racism in US

Opinion: October 9, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

As an African- American, I truly do believe that 99 percent of police officers and law-enforcement officers are truly excellent public servants sworn to “serve and protect” all American citizens regardless of race, creed, color, gender or religion.

I believe that even after these last few years of questionable police shootings of African-Americans all across the country.

All Americans of every race, creed, color, gender, political party and religion – and not just the group Black Lives Matter – should truly engage to make a difference in a conversation on race and racism at the national, state and local levels

They should be working, talking and coming together to truly solve this dangerous crisis happening and going on in both the African-American community and law-enforcement community (against each other).

But I also ask that the same concern, protest, dialogue, marching and outrage be directed equally (to a just solution) regarding poverty and black-on-black shootings, violence, crime and joblessness taking place in our inner cities across the country.

I believe these issues and crisis facing the black community and law enforcement community cannot be solved by those groups or Black Lives Matter alone. It will take a dialogue of all Americans – black and white, of every race, creed, color, gender and religion and from the cities and suburbs – truly working, talking and coming together across the nation.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in a speech “all too many of those who live in affluent America often ignore those who exist in poor America; and in doing so, the affluent Americans will eventually have to face the question that Eichmann chose to ignore: How responsible am I for the well being of my fellows? To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it.”

In 2016 with the crises that confront black Americans, we must remember true peace is not merely the absence of marching, violence, riots, tension, etc. It is and always will be the true presence of justice for all American citizens including black Americans. Period.

Willie James Richards, Youngstown

Let states adopt own gun ownership laws

It is my belief after 40 or more years of guns being used as a political football, it is time to correct this problem. The fact is, certain states with large cities and large available police forces may only have needs for handguns while rural states like Wyoming and Alaska may need more powerful firearms.

It is impossible to pass federal laws that use the “one fits all” for all 50 states. All 50 states must be given the right to pass and enforce their own laws that make sense in their state.

First; the U.S. Congress must pass a law with the approval of the president, giving the individual states the right to pass and enforce laws in their individual states that fit their state and citizens’ needs.

Further, once the laws are voted on and passed by the voters of the individual states, it should take at least a vote of two thirds to overturn the law.

This would be a common sense approach that would have a chance to correct this problem and have a say over the lobbyist and other special interest groups.

Ken Niles, Austintown