Readers Write: The heroes of Annunciation, domestic violence, Venezuelan boat strikes

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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The Oct. 26 article, “The heroes of Annunciation,” deserved its front-page placement given how important first responders are to our community. Having a St. Paul firefighter as a brother has given me deeper appreciation of the service first responders provide in emergencies as well as day-to-day service. However, there were also citizen, nonprofessional heroes in the Annunciation mass shooting. One foremost example is Pat Scallen. Scallen, a senior citizen who lives very near Annunciation and whose children attended the school, was working in his home when heard what he discerned were gunshots coming from the vicinity of the school. Without regard to his own welfare and not knowing if the shooter was still active, he ran toward the gunfire, leaving the safety of his home. He arrived on the scene before any first responders and provided direct support and comfort to several wounded and frightened children as they awaited help.

What an extraordinary example of selflessness and community commitment. Scallen is a true hero, and I am sure there are additional untold stories of other citizen heroes involved in the tragedy and its aftermath.

John Mach, Edina

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I’ve lived in Minneapolis for 45 years. My children were born and raised here. I consider myself fortunate to live in south Minneapolis by Lake Nokomis. I’m don’t take it for granted. There is a lot of dysfunction in this city — the City Council, a questionable mayoral race, the crime rate, etc.

The ban on assault weapons needs to happen. Not everyone who commits these crimes suffers from mental health issues. There is a lot of rage, hate and evil going on. Let’s get this done!

Karin Ward, Minneapolis

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Reading “The heroes of Annunciation,” I wept — for the families who lost their children and for the courage that rose in the midst of horror. When shots shattered a sacred space, ordinary people — officers, firefighters, paramedics, teachers and parents — did something extraordinary: They ran toward danger to protect others.

Their actions remind us who we are at our best. Guided by love, training and faith in one another, they brought calm to chaos and hope to heartbreak. The resilience of the children and staff, and the strength of those who rushed to help, show that goodness still has the final word.

What happened at Annunciation touches every one of us — and the courage shown that day calls us to do the same: to bring light where there is darkness, and care where there is pain.

With deep gratitude,

Jane White Schneeweis, Mahtomedi

I am sickened by the murder of Mariah Samuels and the lack of response to her earlier report of a serious assault by the man who allegedly killed her (“Death exposes Mpls. policing gap,” Oct. 30). I spent many years prosecuting domestic cases in Hennepin County. The county and city attorney offices and the Police Department devoted substantial resources to training officers in domestic response. Lethality assessments have been around for a long time. Anyone in the field knew that hands on the throat indicated a high danger of lethality. Pistol-whipping a person speaks for itself as a danger sign. The existence of a video made this a case that could be prosecuted without victim cooperation. It was evidence that a crime was committed and the identity of the offender. It should absolutely have been classified as a priority.

Every domestic case is an opportunity for homicide prevention. The homicide is often the last in a series of events. Gathering information about prior events is part of an investigation. The patrol officer can’t do that; that’s a job for the investigator. It’s also a part of lethality assessment. Prosecuting without victim cooperation was once unheard of. Over the years we evolved to the position of evaluating early on whether a case could be proved without the victim. Domestic prosecutors understood all cases should be evaluated for whether the victim was needed to prosecute. With body camera evidence, surveillance video as in this case and better documentation of injuries, many more cases can be successfully prosecuted than without those things. It seems this was one of those cases.

Alan Harris, Eagan

The writer is a retired prosecuting attorney.

Since the notorious My Lai Massacre by U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1968, the American military academies have emphasized that military personnel are never to obey clearly illegal orders. When on a fellowship at the Naval Academy, I was impressed by how much the military law-and-ethics professors stressed this point and military honor.

Since early September, there have been reports of military strikes on smugglers’ boats at sea. This is a clear and gross violation of basic human rights. There is no reason the alleged smugglers cannot be intercepted by Coast Guard and/or Navy, taken into custody and tried for their crimes.

Smugglers are criminals; they are not combatants. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth talk as though we are “at war” with drug cartels. There is no war; the laws of war do not apply. No cartel has attacked the U.S., like al-Qaida did on 9/11. Neither are smugglers “terrorists” in the sense of individuals who use terrorist tactics (like indiscriminately killing innocent civilians) to promote a political agenda.

A military man himself, Hegseth should know better. And where are the Joint Chiefs of Staff? If any institution can stand up to Trump, it should be the U.S. military. What happened to military honor?

Don E. Scheid, Winona, Minn.

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I’ve held a Coast Guard license for over 25 years and sailed in the Atlantic off the coast of Venezuela. I can state with confidence that most of the boats that have been bombed could not have possibly reached any U.S. port without refueling several times. No experienced seaman would undertake a voyage that rough and that long in those boats. The boats I’ve seen are common fishing boats in that part of the world. We must stop the killings that our country is committing!

Carl Berdie, Minneapolis