San Diego Hells Angels defended

Loss of moral compass

It’s crazy that you will allow such a disgraceful lie to be published on your site (“How Scholder Got His Groove Back”, SD on the QT, Oct. 6, 2023). This is defamation and I’m in contact with my lawyer to take legal action for those slandered in the article.

You could be doing productive and helpful things with your platform but instead you help push this false narrative of this motorcycle club being criminals and degenerates. They do more for their community than any branch of government. You and your fellow mainstream media liars are the real criminals and pose a greater threat than any MC out there. Get your moral compass in line and try to do something good.

Brian

San Diego

SD on the QT is the Reader’s Almost Factual News column, and is labeled as such. It is true, however, that 17 members and associates of the San Diego Hells Angels were arrested in relation to an assault on three black men that took place last summer.

Books and smartphones needed 

I am appalled at the idiocy of SD Council member Kent Lee in his assessment that literacy is not an equitable value and the solution to literacy inequity is to get rid of books in libraries (“City Council approves new master plan for libraries”, SD on the QT, Nov. 17, 2023). The answer is not getting books out of libraries, but getting children into libraries and reading, regardless of demographic origin. Kent Lee is not incorrect that every student’s smart phone has access to almost unlimited information, but in mentioning lower literacy rates amongst Latinos and Blacks, he fails to mention that those same groups are underserved in technology access and devices. The libraries equal the information, literature, and learning playing fields with access for all and professional librarians to help students. Perhaps Kent Lee is looking to eliminate books (hmm, who else in history has endorsed that vile practice?) so that only smartphones can be used. How might those devices be corrupted by AI to only allow what politicians like Lee want to be read?

Joe Gallagher

Oceanside

SD on the QT is the Reader’s Almost Factual News column, and is labeled as such. It is true, however, that the library’s new master plan places a focus on equity.

My daughter’s 

tragic life

Hello, My name is Shande Carpenter, I am Kelsey Carpenters mother. My daughter was wrongfully charged with murder for the tragic passing of her daughter. (“Oceanside drug addict loses third child”, Neighborhood News, April 13, 2021) The murder charges have been dismissed, as have any potential charges for “manslaughter,” “voluntary manslaughter,” or “involuntary manslaughter.” For some reason, your news outlet has failed to report this (as others have).

The cause of my precious granddaughter’s death was a rare placenta disorder (per 3 experts with a combined 100 years experience as Medical Examiners/pathologists). Tragically, she likely would not had survived even if her birth had taken place at a hospital. My daughter pled guilty to “child endangerment” only so she could get out of jail to help raise her 2 beautiful boys who she loves dearly (they miss her terribly and love her so very much).

Sadly, my daughter was horrifically molested for approx 6 years of her life beginning at age 6. By age 14 she began drinking alcohol in an attempt to numb the pain from the sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse. Then at age 16 she got addicted to opiates after taking Vicodin when her wisdom teeth were pulled. She would later go on methadone and suboxone to treat her opiate addiction (again, this disease was due to her need to numb her traumatic pain and fear). She kept what happened to her suppressed in an attempt to cope, and out of the fear instilled in her by the man who molested her. This abuse altered the trajectory of her life.

The “disease of addiction” is a “disease,” just like “Diabetes” (yet we don’t blame and shame the people with that disease for eating too much), “heart disease” (yet we don’t blame people for eating fattening foods, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes)... My daughter lost the daughter she loved so desperately and wanted to raise more than anything (despite her BF abandoning her and wanting her to get an abortion).

I watched my daughter break down holding her beautiful precious daughter in the mortuary. She wouldn’t leave her, held her for hours bawling uncontrollably, talking with her... I didn’t think my daughter would survive the tremendous pain she was feeling, the loss she had endured.

Then the DA charges her with a charge she knew she could never ever get a conviction on. People threatened to kill her on social media, they called her a “baby killer” (even spray painting it all across the whole side of her car). People were so utterly cruel, mean, and there was no such thing as “innocent until proven guilty.” These people had no idea what the circumstances were, nor did they care. They simply looked at the headlines across the news, newspaper, and media outlets such as yours.

And now that the murder charges are dropped, you seemingly have zero interest in publishing that (which is fact). Are you aware that the ME ruled her precious daughter’s death as “accidental,” not due to a murder. I would be happy to provide documentation and experts reports etc. to you if you are interested in updating your reporting with what actually happened. Even the Judge addressed her mental health issues, her disease of addiction, and the fact that she was molested.

Shande Carpenter

Carlsbad