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Shame on Us, as Usual|A Slice of Pie, Please

"Buzz," by Sam Merten, March 13

Shame on Us, As Usual

That's enough.

Good God! Dallas finally gets a politician who actually wants to do the right thing, no matter the cost, and what do you do? You try to burn him!

Craig Watkins will go down in history as the only Dallas DA who had the courage to open up previously tried and convicted cases to DNA testing. He did this knowing full well the political repercussions he would have to endure.

He's a hero, and if he ever ran for higher political office, like governor or, dare I say it, president, I'd vote for him. And before you even ask, I'm white...so it ain't a race thing.

Shame on you for posting anything negative about this man! You're disgusting.

Reuben L. Owens, via dallasobserver.com

"Death in the Inner Circle," by Jim Schutze and Sam Merten, March 13

A Slice of Pie, Please

After reading Jim Schutze's article, I'm wondering if Dallas Hispanic contractors should go to Willis Johnson instead of Mayor Leppert in order to obtain a fair piece of the business procurement contracts at the city of Dallas.

I hope this is not the fact. I'd like to believe otherwise, but at some point in time, Mayor Leppert needs to bring clarity and light into this mess.

For the record, Hispanics also live in Dallas' southern sector. Is this yet another example where the Dallas Hispanic community is playing second fiddle and where Dallas' black business community is using Dallas' Hispanic population numbers to pad its business contracts? If this is the fact, this is not only wrong, it may be against the law.

There is a valid concern to this day among many Dallas Hispanic leaders that Hispanic-led businesses are not offered adequate business opportunities while black-owned businesses are granted many city contracts.

Jesse Diaz, president Dallas LULAC Council 4496, via dallasobserver.com

Wow! What an amazing report by Jim Schutze and Sam Merten. It looks like they're so dedicated to their craft that they would "kill" for a scoop. It's great to know that some reporters in Dallas believe that a suicide shouldn't stop them from continuing their attacks against a public figure. I'm also pleased to learn that Sam Merten has a tremendous knack for burning bridges. I enjoyed reading his articles for DallasBlog.com, where he worked alongside with Rufus Shaw.

Rick Sans, via dallasobserver.com

My friend, Lynn Flint Shaw, has been brutally murdered, and all you people can do is continue to slam her name.

Fact: All elected officials have people around them they trust. The e-mail that was sent to Jim was written in June soon after the election. The people out to destroy Mr. Leppert's name is the same group out to destroy Willis Johnson and destroyed Rufus Shaw's mind.

My friend Lynn Flint Shaw made mistakes, but who has not? If she was a crooked politician she would not have had a financial problem.

Mayor Leppert meets with the Hispanic chamber and black chamber. He meets with groups of Hispanics all the time. Why on earth would you people continue to make something out of nothing? No one—Jim or others—can find one contract Mayor Leppert has helped any black person get. Name one black person that has a contract with the city of Dallas dated after Mayor Leppert was sworn in that did not follow the process and had some connection to Leppert, Johnson or Shaw.

The city manager runs the city; the mayor has no authority to give anyone a contract. I am mad as hell, and I will not take it anymore, the lies, race baiting, one greedy group blaming another greedy group; Dallas is in a bad way, and you haters are killing it. I am on the DHA board, and I can count on one hand how many Hispanics or blacks bid on any contracts. All both groups do is point fingers. Get up off your lazy ass and go after the work the white people do.

My friend Lynn is dead. I will not hear her voice again, not see her smiling face. She and her family deserve a little respect from this community because she gave a lot of herself and did not take anything from the taxpayers.

Betty Culbreath, via dallasobserver.com