Personal Responsibility

Thanks for the thorough coverage on the Andre Stenson situation. I didn't know Mr. Stenson or any of the policemen involved, so your articles are the main source for my comments. It certainly appears that the police used excessive force in subduing Mr. Stenson; did they cause his death? The autopsy implies such if they caused the fright which his unusual heart condition couldn't tolerate. But then, maybe someone coming up behind him and yelling "Boo" might have caused his death on Halloween or in a graveyard. I certainly don't condone excessive force by the police and am in no way defending them. I am just looking at the events from a detached, unemotional stance.

Had Mr. Stenson submitted quietly when handcuffed, he probably would be alive today. Had he not run, he probably would be alive today. Had he had his lights on that night, he most assuredly would have been alive. Had he not driven his friend's car, likewise. Had he chosen to stay home that night, likewise. Had he paid the price to get his license back, likewise. Had he not become a felon, likewise.

Mr. Stenson is dead today because of the choices he made in his life and because he had a heart problem. Those who prefer to place all of the blame on the police will totally ignore Mr. Stenson's part in the event. He is to be commended for his desire to change his lifestyle and to become a responsible parent, but he made some poor choices lately and he paid the ultimate price. Some people have a hard time understanding that if one chooses to commit a crime, just doing the time doesn't make everything right. Obviously there are lasting consequences which must be overcome.

One never hears personal responsibility explored by the media. The blame is always on the police, the policies, the system, the government, etc. If each and every person were held responsible and accountable for their actions from the time of knowing right from wrong, this world would be a safer place. However, leniency is not just tolerated, it is promoted. Parents are not "punished" for having more children than they can afford, they are rewarded by forcing taxpayers to foot the bills for those children. Students aren't penalized for lack of interest in school, they are rewarded with social promotions. The list is endless.

This paper, and all other form of media, by promoting the concept of personal responsibility, could do more for the common good than all the laws that could ever be passed.

Larry A. Shahan
Knoxville

Yuppies Go Home

As a 4th & Gill resident of 10 years, I would like to point out several flaws in Matt Edens' "Winter of Their Discontent" article [Vol. 8, No. 3]. First of all, the article failed to mention the fact that out of the 40 houses Davis and Granoff purchased and renovated, many of them are located on the rougher edges and outskirts of our neighborhood. Several years ago, very few Yuppie investors would consider 4th & Gill as a home.

There were crimes of many sorts happening here as well as fires, threats from I-40 further razing more houses, and a general lack of interest. Slowly, houses on Luttrell, Eleanor, and several streets in core 4th & Gill got bought and renovated. Now these streets are safe and a good investment for home buyers. But what about the neighborhood as a whole?

Up until very recently, several areas of the neighborhood were still in perpetual decline. Davis and Granoff bought and renovated houses that few would consider as single-family dwellings or a place to park the Volvo. The reason the article failed to mention this is because the voices heard were more concerned with how renovation projects affected their investments on the street they live on. It should also be noted that the Davis-Granoff projects greatly improved the aesthetics of the area.

Poplar siding was used with fantastic gingerbread trim on all the houses they've done that I've seen. Also, who would dare say that the houses on Broadway at Gill do not add a very pleasant entrance into the neighborhood? These houses would have probably been eventually razed by the city or burnt down just as the tragic loss of the McCullough School building and the Lamar Street recreation buildings were forever lost.

As far as the article's portrayal of UT students in 4th & Gill being twentysomething heretics who belong back in Fort Sanders, I say they're welcome as my neighbors and the Yuppies might just need to get off their high horse.

Jim Campbell
Knoxville