Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Tired of bad news? Sick at heart in discovering the malicious ways many people manage to hurt others in word and deed? Depressed about what often seems like an uncaring and unkind society?

Do yourself a favor. Open the Variety section of the Saturday edition of the Star Tribune and look for the stories about what amazing things can happen when everyday people in communities all across our country reach out to those who need a hand. It can be a person in their own neighborhood or a person they hear about through the internet. I am blown away by the power unleashed when one empathetic soul decides to do something for someone else. Almost invariably, the seed they plant with one well-developed plan touches the hearts of those who learn about it and brings them into the circle of support.

Saturday's headline story was "He couldn't read; now he can't stop." I always pick up these stories after reading the rest of the paper. It confirms my belief that there are more good people than bad — they just don't get as much notice. They don't care.

Mary Ritten, Minneapolis

I lead the Solutions Not Suspensions Coalition, and I'm writing in response to the Star Tribune Editorial Board's comments concerning the role of school resource officers (SROs) in schools and the interpretation of the state law regarding student restraint ("Legislative fix needed on cops in schools," editorial, Jan. 6).

Contrary to the views expressed by the Editorial Board, the law is unambiguous and serves a crucial purpose: protecting our children from unnecessary and potentially harmful physical restraint from adults, including police officers, in schools. The law explicitly allows for reasonable force in situations where there is a risk of bodily harm or death to others. This is a fair and necessary standard to uphold the safety and dignity of our students. Those suggesting the law is confusing are being misled by a narrative pushed by those who oppose any regulations of police and school staff conduct toward kids.

The withdrawal of SROs from schools is not a matter of increased liability or confusion over the law. It is a political statement. Officers walking off the job in protest are not prohibited from doing their jobs. Instead, they resist being held to a standard of reasonable force that protects the safety of children. The primary objection of the law is to restrict the authority to use physical and often dangerous force on children without accountability.

I urge those who find the law perplexing to simply read it — just Google Minn. Stat. 121A.582. The law is straightforward: Children should not be subjected to dangerous restraints unless they pose an imminent threat to themselves or others. Our focus should be on creating safe, nurturing environments for our students, not on granting unchecked powers to those who should be their protectors.

Erin Sandsmark, Minneapolis

The Star Tribune's coverage of the upcoming Jan. 10 visit of Michael Twitty, author of "Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew," to Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park showcased the rich racial and ethnic diversity within the Jewish community ("'Koshersoul' author Michael Twitty coming to Twin Cities," Jan. 7).

In fact, we are Black Jewish Minnesotans who do talk about it every day. Minnesota has an active community of Jews of color who are respected scholars and speakers on the subject locally and nationally. Our groups include the Multiracial Jewish Association of Minnesota founded in the wake of George Floyd's murder, the earlier Jews of Color Minnesota, the global BlackandJewish.org and the groundbreaking Alliance of Black Jews, founded more than 30 years ago.

A 2021 Pew Research study estimated 8% of U.S. Jews identify as belonging to a racial or ethnic group other than white, and a 2020 article by TC Jewfolk reported that 7% of Twin Cities Jewish households include at least one person of color.

As Jews of color, we have been on staff or on the boards of several of our synagogues, the Jewish federations, the Jewish Community Centers, the Jewish Community Action and the Minnesota Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), among others.

Programs like Twitty's visit not only showcase the many ways the local Jewish community embraces the intersectionality of its diverse racial and ethnic heritage but also raise awareness that Minnesota's Jews of color abound.

Sheree R. Curry, Maple Grove; Jessi Kingston, Edina; Michelle Kuhl, Plymouth; Enzi Tanner, Minneapolis; and Robin Washington, Duluth

Craig Johnson, Austin, Minn.

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Those who say it should be up to the voters to decide whether Trump should be president offer an illegitimate political solution to a question that requires an interpretation of the Constitution by the U.S. Supreme Court. This is no different from other constitutional prohibitions on becoming president. Would we insist that voters must decide if Arnold Schwarzenegger chose to run for president? If Barack Obama decided to run for a third term? Or if a 30-year-old wanted to be a candidate? Of course not.

The disqualification provision was made part of our Constitution and is relevant today for good reason. It protects democracy by keeping out people who would overturn the Constitution.