Regarding the article on safety issues (“Critics: Not in our town,” Aug. 22), I would guess that Jerry Uecker and his merry band are not yearning to go down in the history of this Valley as respected men like Record, Goepp, and others who worked diligently and without fanfare to unify this great old Valley. Rather, in their casual arrogance, they would shut down a thriving enterprise that employs hundreds of people in this Valley for, what it appears, their own self-interest.

Those of us who grew up in this Valley have known and loved the people from the reservation, a majority of which are law-abiding citizens. The SOC should remember these are the natives of this Valley; they were here first. Is SOC on the side of extermination of the reservation rather than long, peaceful, diplomatic discussions aimed at living here in harmony? Instead, their answer lies in jackbooted, shotgun rhetoric geared to tear us apart.

VICKI BOWMAN

San Jacinto