Readers Write (May 2): Remembering Prince, commemorating Prince, demonizing marijuana

When you see the outpouring of love and admiration for Prince — buildings lit up in purple, impromptu dance parties from Minneapolis to Brooklyn, and all over the world — it really makes me reflect on whether this is all happening just based on his music.

Is it about an individual who inspired people and pushed them to grow and be better than they would have been? Is it the combination of his unique style and honesty that gave people permission to be themselves even if society views them as something different? I know what Prince meant to the Minneapolis community and people of my hometown metro area through his selfless support for people, music, technology and charities. He made us think differently about people, about ourselves. He made us examine our perceptions and beliefs, then challenged us to honor those differences. I believe this is what some people are feeling today. In a world where it feels as if our leadership continues to divide people based on misinformation and misperceptions, Prince was different. He tried to validate people for who they are and for their own values and strengths — not allowing society to prejudge or categorize so quickly based on a minute fact about an individual. Prince validated the complexity of individuals, while also inspiring and pushing those same individuals to be better. I believe that is what we are feeling, and that is what made Prince a genius.

Could you imagine a world where our entertainers and leaders were more inspirational and less self-serving? A world where not everything is governed by a publicist or by personal brands, but where instead people focused on making those around them feel comfortable in their own skin and strove to improve, not only for themselves but for society as well. That is what we need more than ever before, and Prince, in his own way, gave us some insight on what that might look like.

As we mourn the sad passing of Prince Rogers Nelson, Minneapolis' most famous son, I have to believe there will be a lot of popular support for honoring him in a significant way in the Downtown East Commons. It's going to be a centrally located park in a city that Prince, who could have lived anywhere in the world, chose to stay connected to along with the rest of the Twin Cities. We were lucky to have him here for the time that we did. Let's do the right thing.

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We are witnessing the end of an era, and we aren't alone as the world mourns with us. We've seen images not only of our own Interstate 35W bridge, but of the Eiffel Tower, the Superdome in New Orleans and other landmarks aglow in purple.

Prince didn't have to live his life where he was raised; he chose to. He called Minnesota "home," and he was an active member of his community. He supported local businesses, charities and sports teams. He was a native son, and though only 5 feet, 2 inches tall, he was a musical giant.

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A recent letter suggested a permanent honoring of Prince for his contributions to the area music scene. Since we saw fit to honor (in Mary Tyler Moore's hat-tossing statue on Nicollet Mall) a fictional TV character who "lived" here only in a fantasy world, it only makes sense to do the same for a person who actually lived, worked, made a difference and ultimately died here.

I would propose a Prince statue in front of First Avenue.

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We've got a popular Minneapolis lake named after a proslavery senator with no connection to Minnesota. And we've just prematurely lost a musical and cultural icon who put Minneapolis on the pop culture map.

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The best tribute to Prince, rather than, say, making our state color purple, would be to work as hard as he did, to give of himself as he did and to be as authentic as he was.

Politicians need to live up to their titles by creating relationships that facilitate getting work done for the people. When U.S. Rep. David Jolly of Florida introduced a bill banning, in essence, a job description that includes fundraising for more than 50 percent of the workday, he meant that politicians need to work for the taxpayers. Lawmakers in this state need to live up to the example set by Prince. Work on the important things. Leave grieving to the people; don't legislate it.

I'd like to point out some inaccuracies in the April 23 article "Marijuana wax is a rising concern." In the states that have legalized marijuana, what we haven't seen is an increase in crime. We haven't seen an increase in death. We haven't seen any real social problems in these states that stem from legalized marijuana.

At the end of the article, Brian Marquardt, statewide gang and drug coordinator for the Department of Public Safety's Office of Justice Programs, states that making marijuana wax is as deadly as smoking it. This is a false statement. While it is true that people can die from explosions from making the wax as mentioned in your article, I don't know of anyone who has ever died directly from ingesting marijuana in any form. It's physically impossible to take as much as you would need to overdose.

Obviously, there is very little detriment and a lot of benefit — not only for the state in terms of tax dollars, but in terms of people's lives when they don't have to go to jail for petty marijuana offenses.

Show me, using data and facts, why marijuana can't be legal here. The demonization of marijuana didn't work, so people are now demonizing derivatives of marijuana. Why are Minnesotans so much different from the people who live in the legalized states? What is behind this adherence to antiquated laws that never made sense in the first place?