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Writer Harrison skewered on Hinze reporting

Sexist, ableist, and transphobic cover story

LimeBike scooters
LimeBike scooters

Violent, vulgar and inflammatory

First and foremost I want to thank you for your dedication to providing the public with access to information about what is happening in our community. Access to this knowledge is a privilege that we have as residents in a democratic nation, and is a privilege that should not be under appreciated.

I wanted to review a few points that were conveyed in the piece published 1/14/19 title “Hinze appointment shows Encinitas splits” by one of your staff members Ken Harrison. First, the writer complains that city council lacks diversity, however his piece appears to lack diversity of opinion as well. It seems hypocritical to read an article where the writer was a candidate (but did not serve?) and quotes another candidate that ran multiple times and was not elected. He quotes that councilwoman Hinze’s nomination was “fixed” from the start, but I believe the record shows that of the 28 people who showed up for public comment on 1/9/19 in support of either councilwoman Hinze or former judge Brandenburg, 20 of them spoke in favor of Hinze and 8 spoke in favor of Brandenburg.

Kelly Shay Hinze – fifth member of corrupt club?

When more than double the number of public speakers support the nominee who was appointed it does not seem fixed, but more of a reflection of what an engaged community members want from their City Council. Second, I found it interesting the writer decided to state that the council supports development in favor of “tearing down of mom and pop small businesses” in Encinitas. Mr. Harrison criticizes the proposal for mixed use development, however this is a strategy that can address the housing crisis we face as Californians. It is not anti-small town identity, it is helping people make a life here who also work and contribute to this community, by giving them access to housing that may reflect their pay check even if they are unable to afford the average home price of $1,058,200 (Zillow.com).

Lastly, a point that as a physician I have a serious issue with is the sentence in the first paragraph where Mr. Harrison felt the liberty to quote a unnamed “longterm community activist” in saying councilwoman Hinze’s appointment was a “raping of the community”. First, I would appreciate if the writer could explain how her appointment to the council is equivalent to “raping” the community. Rape is not a phrase commonly used in journalism, even if it is a quote, and is especially not used as flippantly as it was in this article. Further, it is shocking to see that this language was even published in the first place. Using a phrase like rape here only normalizes a horrific event that what some estimate as an experience 19.3% of women and 1.7% of men have experienced in their lives (2011 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey). In more simple terms that is 1 in 5 women and approximately 1 in 60 men. I care for these victims in my clinic, these men and women are your neighbors, friends, and family. Using rape in this sentence only condones rape culture. A culture where sexual assault and rape become a social norm, and I refuse to believe that our great city is a city where such behavior is accepted and normalized. Lastly, I would hope that the editor would understand the weight that those words can have not only on individual victims of sexual assault, but how accepting common use of this language and publishing it in SD Reader could continue to negatively influence our community as a whole.

Sponsored
Sponsored

  • Name withheld
  • North County

No editorials, please

I’m sorry to be writing with a complaint as I frequently enjoy reading the San Diego Reader and the stories you choose to cover. As a former reporter at the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press, I need to express that I feel it’s irresponsible for the San Diego Reader to allow your writer, Ken Harrison, to use an unnamed source in the lead paragraph to say that the appointment of a qualified person to the Encinitas City Council is akin to “raping of the community.” To include this violent, vulgar and inflammatory statement in quotes in the first paragraph (“Hinze appointment shows Encinitas splits,” Neighborhood News, January 14) without any attribution is a dereliction of editorial responsibility. This written piece by Ken Harrison is being presented not as an editorial or a letter to the editor but a news story. This should have been clearly flagged by the editorial staff and the top of the story requested to be re-written. Please protect the integrity of the 4th estate by upholding responsible journalistic conventions. Allowing unsourced smears to appear in the first paragraph of your news story undermines your publication and the vital watchdog role of the press.

  • Name withheld
  • Encinitas
Nikki cosplays as a sexy version of Freddy Krueger

Womyn stereotypes

The article is sexist, ableist, and transphobic; and reinforces bad stereotypes of CIS womyn treating the receipt of attention both positive and negative as a crack cocaine-esque addiction of which they cannot get enough, and will stoop to increasing lows to get (“San Diego millennials show their nerdy business models.” Cover Story, January 16). Men of Whiteness, trans, the disabled, and the furries are of course grossly underrepresented as usual. I call upon all advertisers, payment vendors, and readers to de-platform and boycott the Reader until the Reader staff rectify the lack of diversity and inclusiveness in their stories.

  • Ignacix “Nachx” Martinex
  • City Heights

Electric boy toys

It’s time to pull the plug on electric scooters (“LimeBike greases San Diego palms,” Under the radar, January 2). These toys for thirty-year-old boys serve no useful purpose excepting perhaps a drunken joy ride in Pacific Beach. Last I heard Toys R Us closed so maybe these kids can just play in the park as we did 60 years ago. Who in the City of San Diego had this stupid idea of littering our sidewalks with dangerous scooters anyway? I heard from the Clairemont Community Planning Group of which I was a previous elected member that these so called weapons of mass destruction are meant to alleviate our City’s transportation woes. Well, has anyone seen a middle-aged woman with her groceries riding down Balboa Avenue on a scooter? C’mon, I’m dumb, but not that dumb! Who in this City was glad handed into bringing these obscenities into San Diego? Quite frankly, I don’t get it. I have not had a car for most of my life and have relied on walking and public buses. Coincidentally, I am one of San Diego’s early Ironmen from the mid-eighties and still prefer in doing it the old fashioned way by walking!

  • Daniel J. Smiechowski
  • Bay Ho

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LimeBike scooters
LimeBike scooters

Violent, vulgar and inflammatory

First and foremost I want to thank you for your dedication to providing the public with access to information about what is happening in our community. Access to this knowledge is a privilege that we have as residents in a democratic nation, and is a privilege that should not be under appreciated.

I wanted to review a few points that were conveyed in the piece published 1/14/19 title “Hinze appointment shows Encinitas splits” by one of your staff members Ken Harrison. First, the writer complains that city council lacks diversity, however his piece appears to lack diversity of opinion as well. It seems hypocritical to read an article where the writer was a candidate (but did not serve?) and quotes another candidate that ran multiple times and was not elected. He quotes that councilwoman Hinze’s nomination was “fixed” from the start, but I believe the record shows that of the 28 people who showed up for public comment on 1/9/19 in support of either councilwoman Hinze or former judge Brandenburg, 20 of them spoke in favor of Hinze and 8 spoke in favor of Brandenburg.

Kelly Shay Hinze – fifth member of corrupt club?

When more than double the number of public speakers support the nominee who was appointed it does not seem fixed, but more of a reflection of what an engaged community members want from their City Council. Second, I found it interesting the writer decided to state that the council supports development in favor of “tearing down of mom and pop small businesses” in Encinitas. Mr. Harrison criticizes the proposal for mixed use development, however this is a strategy that can address the housing crisis we face as Californians. It is not anti-small town identity, it is helping people make a life here who also work and contribute to this community, by giving them access to housing that may reflect their pay check even if they are unable to afford the average home price of $1,058,200 (Zillow.com).

Lastly, a point that as a physician I have a serious issue with is the sentence in the first paragraph where Mr. Harrison felt the liberty to quote a unnamed “longterm community activist” in saying councilwoman Hinze’s appointment was a “raping of the community”. First, I would appreciate if the writer could explain how her appointment to the council is equivalent to “raping” the community. Rape is not a phrase commonly used in journalism, even if it is a quote, and is especially not used as flippantly as it was in this article. Further, it is shocking to see that this language was even published in the first place. Using a phrase like rape here only normalizes a horrific event that what some estimate as an experience 19.3% of women and 1.7% of men have experienced in their lives (2011 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey). In more simple terms that is 1 in 5 women and approximately 1 in 60 men. I care for these victims in my clinic, these men and women are your neighbors, friends, and family. Using rape in this sentence only condones rape culture. A culture where sexual assault and rape become a social norm, and I refuse to believe that our great city is a city where such behavior is accepted and normalized. Lastly, I would hope that the editor would understand the weight that those words can have not only on individual victims of sexual assault, but how accepting common use of this language and publishing it in SD Reader could continue to negatively influence our community as a whole.

Sponsored
Sponsored

  • Name withheld
  • North County

No editorials, please

I’m sorry to be writing with a complaint as I frequently enjoy reading the San Diego Reader and the stories you choose to cover. As a former reporter at the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press, I need to express that I feel it’s irresponsible for the San Diego Reader to allow your writer, Ken Harrison, to use an unnamed source in the lead paragraph to say that the appointment of a qualified person to the Encinitas City Council is akin to “raping of the community.” To include this violent, vulgar and inflammatory statement in quotes in the first paragraph (“Hinze appointment shows Encinitas splits,” Neighborhood News, January 14) without any attribution is a dereliction of editorial responsibility. This written piece by Ken Harrison is being presented not as an editorial or a letter to the editor but a news story. This should have been clearly flagged by the editorial staff and the top of the story requested to be re-written. Please protect the integrity of the 4th estate by upholding responsible journalistic conventions. Allowing unsourced smears to appear in the first paragraph of your news story undermines your publication and the vital watchdog role of the press.

  • Name withheld
  • Encinitas
Nikki cosplays as a sexy version of Freddy Krueger

Womyn stereotypes

The article is sexist, ableist, and transphobic; and reinforces bad stereotypes of CIS womyn treating the receipt of attention both positive and negative as a crack cocaine-esque addiction of which they cannot get enough, and will stoop to increasing lows to get (“San Diego millennials show their nerdy business models.” Cover Story, January 16). Men of Whiteness, trans, the disabled, and the furries are of course grossly underrepresented as usual. I call upon all advertisers, payment vendors, and readers to de-platform and boycott the Reader until the Reader staff rectify the lack of diversity and inclusiveness in their stories.

  • Ignacix “Nachx” Martinex
  • City Heights

Electric boy toys

It’s time to pull the plug on electric scooters (“LimeBike greases San Diego palms,” Under the radar, January 2). These toys for thirty-year-old boys serve no useful purpose excepting perhaps a drunken joy ride in Pacific Beach. Last I heard Toys R Us closed so maybe these kids can just play in the park as we did 60 years ago. Who in the City of San Diego had this stupid idea of littering our sidewalks with dangerous scooters anyway? I heard from the Clairemont Community Planning Group of which I was a previous elected member that these so called weapons of mass destruction are meant to alleviate our City’s transportation woes. Well, has anyone seen a middle-aged woman with her groceries riding down Balboa Avenue on a scooter? C’mon, I’m dumb, but not that dumb! Who in this City was glad handed into bringing these obscenities into San Diego? Quite frankly, I don’t get it. I have not had a car for most of my life and have relied on walking and public buses. Coincidentally, I am one of San Diego’s early Ironmen from the mid-eighties and still prefer in doing it the old fashioned way by walking!

  • Daniel J. Smiechowski
  • Bay Ho
Comments
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