Re: Climate of love
I am writing in response to Gwen Garcelon’s column in last week’s Sun. It seems that the incident involving Michael Francisco, the police and City Market is ripe for a restorative, rather than retributive process. All three appear to be not only the affected party, but also the responsible party. A restorative justice process would enable the harms done to everyone (including the Carbondale community) to be repaired, without shaming anyone. I hope this can occur.

Judie Blanchard
Carbondale

Re: RFHS
We have been parents within the Re-1 School District since 2007 and have five more years to go. Currently, we have students in 8th grade and 7th grade at CMS. We just had a senior graduate last year from RFHS who attended all grades at CRES, CMS and RFHS. We are very grateful for the outstanding teachers he encountered over the years. We have been involved parents from the very beginning.
To say we have seen a lot of staff come and go over the years (our son had three different principals and two different assistant principals in his four years at RFHS) would be an understatement. We have always been quiet about voicing our opinions regarding such decisions made by RFSD but not this time. We are extremely disappointed in both the process and the hiring of the new RFHS principal. We don’t question Megan’s qualifications for the position, but the total disregard of the input from the teachers within RFHS and the community members surrounding RFHS is unacceptable. It is clear to us that Zoe Stern deserved the opportunity to serve as RFHS’s principal. Zoe has done an amazing job at RFHS; she and Lyn made a very strong team. (Gabapentin) What a slap in the face and now RFHS will be looking for a new assistant principal (as well as BHS). Sounds all too familiar …
Rob Stein, this is on you. Apparently you have no idea what is appropriate for RFSD, RFHS, and the Carbondale community. What was the point of the hiring committee, limiting parent input and rushing the process? It appears you already knew who you were going to hire. It is in the best interests of the RFSD for you to resign immediately.
There is no going back on this announcement. We hope the RFHS staff remains strong in the face of this disrespectful and unjust environment you, Rob Stein, have created.

Mandy and Pete Brennan
Carbondale

Sign guy speaks
When I was ten years old, I asked my father for a ride. He said, “Go stick your thumb in the air.” I did. That was over forty years ago. I’ve been hitchhiking ever since.
Most of the people who stop are good people. It is an honor to meet them. People without courage, and common courtesy, yell things as they drive by. “Get a job, get a car, get a life.” If I look, it is looking into the eyes of humanity. Many folk accelerate from stop sings to accentuate the no.
Cars emit carbon monoxide, why would I want one? Often, I hitchhike to work. You wouldn’t yell “get a life” at me if I wasn’t living.
Now I am sitting in the street with signs that say: “community-spirited policing,” “rethink police training, “feliz navidad,” “ethics carbondale,” “drop the charges,” and “know thy neighbor.”
A person walked by and made a comment. He didn’t have the courage to stop like people with decency do. He foolishly said, “Feeling oppressed out here? I’m white, I don’t have a problem.”
If I look, it is looking into the eyes of humanity.
Our neighbor got knocked down by the people we pay to protect us. Homo sapiens sapiens. Even while sitting down, I stand for all of us.

Social aka Stephen Horn
Carbondale

Farewell to a CMC pioneer
Dave Clark was a science instructor in the early days of Colorado Mountain College, known in the early 1970s as Colorado Mountain Junior College. Due to the fact that West Campus (Glenwood Springs) had only 300 students and East Campus (Leadville) had only 100 students, the few teachers in the Science, Business, and communication/Humanities departments taught almost all of the subjects in their disciplines. As a result, Dave Clark taught Biology, Botany, Astronomy, College Algebra, Calculus, etc.
He was an excellent teacher who was very popular. Despite the fact that they were asked to teach many subjects in labs and classrooms in temporary buildings (mainly converted student dorms after the first permanent student dormitory was built), Dave and his fellow teachers were able to teach college-level courses — an accomplishment that eventually led to the agreement with CU Boulder to accept transfer credits from Colorado Mountain College.
Here’s a fond goodbye to an inspiring teacher who helped make Colorado Mountain College the accredited mega-college of many campuses that it is today.

Clay Boland Jr.
Retired CMC Professor

Dead of night
Dark as a new moon
Cold as a ghost passing close
Uneasy evening

JM Jesse
Glenwood Springs

Haiku #2
No sweet bird song this morning
Everything hushed
By a blanket of wet spring snow

Jampa
Carbondale