Letter to the editor: Total racial peace is a mirage

I respect all races and have Black friends and close friends in the Asian community. I am baffled by the current attitude that everything related to the Black race must change to reach peace. Tearing down Confederate statues, banning the Confederate flag and changing the names of military bases is absurd. Would you change history? What names would you substitute? Knee-jerk reaction never goes well.

The killing of George Floyd was disgusting and certainly not warranted. All four officers should get life in prison without parole. That unfortunate situation should bring about drastic changes in how police are trained. The majority of police are good people and serve with courage. However, new police candidates should be vetted to the maximum.

In my opinion, the current racial tension is comparable to that of the Middle East, i.e., two races that don’t like or trust each other. Some 80 years ago, when I was a child, the same situation existed. Some good people made an excellent effort to calm things down, and there was a temporary pause, but both situations still exist today. Again, good people will cause a temporary pause.

You cannot control how people think. There will always be people with racist views. Total racial peace, candidly, will always be a mirage.

Archie Atkinson

Lower Burrell