Darrius Pope says the worst place for Black Marine to get trimmed is Japan.

Prying eyes

Since this article has published (“How they pry Marines out of downtown Oceanside”, Neighborhood News, July 6), I have certain readers of your cherished magazine visit my restaurant with a pre-fixed mindset that I have pushed out previous establishments, and that somehow I am not a mom-and-pop small business, and that I am pushing Marines out of Oceanside.

It would have been really nice to have my perspective of the situation reported as oppose to an agenda based off of a click-bait news title. As this might have added a few readers to click this article and possibly increase your ad revenue, it has become a detriment to the newer local businesses in Oceanside by placing our businesses in a defensive posture while already dealing with a pandemic. I hope these words I’ve type are well read and understood. Semper Fidelis.

• Kevin Shin
• Oceanside

Author Ken Leighton responds:

As I told you in person within days of the article coming out, your complaint has to do with the headline which I did not write. Nothing in the story suggested Marines are getting shut out of downtown Oceanside, in fact it celebrated the opening of a new business (your neighbor) by an active member of the USM

Contentious May 9 meeting of Oceanside City Council

Grateful opposition

Ken Leighton’s article in the February 15, 2019 edition of the Reader (“No major changes to Fairfield Inn and Suites in Oceanside”, Neighborhood News) falsely states that I told him Esther Sanchez supported the Tides project on Vine Street. I never said anything like that. Rather, I was grateful that both Sanchez and Lowery opposed the project.

• Michael Odegaard
• Oceanside

Ken Leighton responds:

You never told me that you were grateful that Esther Sanchez, your former rival for city council, voted against the project. She did vote against it but you did you did not tell me you were grateful for it. You had nothing but negative things to say about Sanchez at the time I spoke to you including your quotes which I wrote. It seems odd that you chose to contest your quote a year and a half after the publication of the article.