LETTERS: City of Henderson mistreating Onion

To the editor:

The latest article about Onion the dog left me both sad and mad (“Court spares Onion for now; case sent back to Henderson,” Dec. 21 Review-Journal). It is hard for me to believe that the city of Henderson can be so heartless. Because of this article, I will never again vote for the current administration. It is inconceivable that it took a court order to, at the very least, exercise Onion. Two walks, just twice a week, for only 10 minutes, for a dog that weighs 120 pounds.

I have read and viewed on TV some of the comments from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society. The city of Henderson should be noted in those comments, as it is currently treating Onion in a way that is tantamount to animal cruelty. The city’s spokesman, Bud Cranor, spoke in such a damning way as to influence readers about this defenseless animal. Mr. Cranor used poor judgment and should retract his choice of words, and leave any further communication with the public to an unbiased expert.

It should also be reiterated to the public in a clear way, and not buried within the article, that the grandmother wanted to rescind the paperwork she had signed when she was in the stress of the tragedy that took the life of 1-year-old Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan. This paperwork was practically forced upon her by officers, allowing the city to take possession of Onion.

I do not make light of the family’s tragic loss. The point is to not compound their sadness with yet another loss.

The grandmother regrets her coerced decision and is against what is currently happening to Onion. Why can’t there be an article in the paper about her perception of how this situation is being handled? Right now, it seems the city of Henderson only wants to kill this dog and doesn’t want to hear anything in defense of Onion.

Don’t presume that I place animal life above human life, as this is not at all the case.

CHARLEEN STORER

HENDERSON

No more money for police

To the editor:

As a resident of this valley for 76-plus years, I say it is time to say no to Sheriff Doug Gillespie’s request for more money. What’s needed is more production and less waste.

The first thing is to do away with the good ol’ boy system where the outgoing sheriff anoints his preferred successor. Minimum standards of education, management and command experience need to be incorporated into the qualifications for office.

This is a rather small valley with a huge chunk carved out for North Las Vegas and many smaller pieces for school police, park police, constables and bailiffs, among others. One well-coordinated organization would save millions of dollars once the transition costs and transition were in place.

If and when consolidation occurs, safeguards need to be in place so as to not reduce neighborhood policing. The citizens need to have guarantees in place, so that all police resources don’t end up on the Fremont Street Experience or the Strip.

The local event operators, casinos and hotels need to provide a larger share of the cost of policing those areas. The casinos don’t want a state lottery (they would rather see their own guests and locals go to the state line), but they have no trouble paying the lowest gaming taxes in the nation, then taking those savings and investing in competitive states, even offshore. Add a special police tax for hotel properties.

Reorganize the whole police protective service valleywide, rather than throwing taxpayer dollars into a bottomless well.

CHAS MUSSER

NORTH LAS VEGAS