Laurels & lances: Names, runs, support, rules

Laurel: To an appropriate response. Fox Chapel Borough is right to move deliberately with the proposal to change the names of streets and trails that contain the word “Squaw.” The council president wants to collect the opinions of the people living on the roads of Squaw Run and Squaw Run East. It’s a start.

Surely no one living there chose their house because they cherish the name of the road. But it’s worth hearing how they feel about providing new street names for myriad documents, legal and personal. Some might argue that the name Squaw Run Creek, which provided the other place names, was conceived in innocence of the meaning it has come to carry today — a slur against Native American women.

But council could also learn that some people in 2020 might be ashamed to have the name on their address. Venues across the nation are debating name changes; Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, a famous ski resort in California, will announce a new name next year. Down the road, O’Hara Township took swift action in August to change the name of Squaw Valley Park to O’Hara Township Community Park.

For the elected leaders of Fox Chapel Borough, there’s every reason to ask questions, seek answers and take the time to think things through.

Lance: To running away from problems. A couple of kids smoking marijuana in a parking lot is nothing new, and parents, property owners and businesses no doubt appreciate police keeping those situations from escalating.

But when Kiski Township police tried to detain two boys Monday in the North Apollo Dollar General parking lot, the situation got out of hand. The boys bolted, driving on River Road with the headlights off in the dark, passing other vehicles at high speeds. The driver ultimately hit and damaged a police car.

The two were charged with an assortment of crimes — from escape to resisting arrest to assault and reckless endangerment — on top of the possession counts that might have been the only citation otherwise.

Laurel: To getting involved in the process. A lot of people are going all in on the 2020 election, making supporting a candidate more than just taking a side. It’s become a decorating plan, a fashion statement and a part of their identity.

That’s great. People should be taking an active role in the election more than just letting it be something that happens around them without their participation.

But let’s hope that come Wednesday, people who have taken a position are also able to go back to being friends, family, neighbors and co-workers instead of opposing sides in a political conflict.

Lance: To not following simple rules. Look at some of the issues that have come up this year as people have had issues coping with the coronavirus pandemic lockdown restrictions. How hard is it to follow a rule?

You only need to look to the airport to see that sometimes, it is harder than it might seem.

Everyone knows that there are things that you can’t take on a plane. No large containers of liquid. No scissors or knives or other sharp instruments. But the top one is a gun. No guns on a plane. Pretty simple.

But still, 19 people have tried to bring a gun onto a plane at the Pittsburgh International Airport in 2020. Most say they simply forgot they were packing heat. Maybe simple rules are harder to follow than we think.