Prostitution and Police Priorities
To the Editor:
Your comments on Principal Trent McVay's prostitution arrest were insightful [October 16th issue]. The incident, however, raises a larger question of law-enforcement priorities. While prostitution is certainly an unsavory business, it doesn't rank up there with violent crimes, all categories of which have been increasing in frequency and severity in Memphis for as long as I can remember.
The MPD, undoubtedly driven by the D.A.'s office, seems to expend an inordinate amount of its resources in a futile crusade against human nature. At the same time, when a citizen is robbed at an ATM in broad daylight, the response of the police director is to advise the public to be careful when using ATMs!
Mayor Herenton recently said that the main reason people are leaving Memphis is crime. I agree. That's why my wife and I left. Given that, why can't the mayor simply direct his police force to get off the prostitution beat, out of the strip clubs, and back into the larger community, where there are lives and property to be protected?
Eric V. Henry
e-mail (Bartlett)
The Tigers' Last Hurdle
To the Editor:
As a partisan fan and graduate of the University of Memphis, here is a non-partisan opinion of the football program. The program is crossing the last hurdle of being a winning football program. Even though the team is 2-4, the quality of football being played this year compared to the last two seasons is unbelievable.
Rip Sherer's organizational, motivational, and offensive coaching skills are showing this year. I believe at this point Rip knows he has built what will be a winning program for many years to come -- he is just not bold enough to say it in exactly those words. For anyone who knows football, Rip does not have to say it; the proof is on the field. If you want to be a part of a winning program for many years to come, start now and support the Tigers. Believe me, your support will be rewarded!
Brian L. Curl
e-mail (Memphis)
The Case of the Missing Flyers
To the Editor:
Help! For the past few years I have always picked up a copy of the Flyer at the Seessel's on Union. Last week when I tried to get a copy, a new rack had been installed and there were no Flyers. What's going on?
Tonda Thomas
Memphis
(Please see Editor's Note.)
The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 687, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at memflyer@aol.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.
As you probably know, Seessel's has been sold and is no longer a locally owned, family-operated grocery chain. The new owners have contracted with a Kansas City distribution company whose charges to distribute our free publication are simply prohibitive.
To accommodate our many readers who previously picked up their copy of the Flyer at Seessel's, we have added green outdoor boxes on the streets as near the store as possible. We also have nearly 600 distribution points throughout Shelby County. Getting our publication into the hands of our readers is very important to us. We are proud of our 96 percent pick-up rate and will continue to look for new, convenient distribution points to serve you better. In the meantime, if you would like to pass your complaint on to Seessel's management, feel free.
We have found the author of "50 Excuses Why Memphians don't support sports (past and present) in their city," which ran in our sports section last week. He is Matt Walsh, a perceptive Memphian, who says he gathered the list from "listening to friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and -- most of all -- Memphis sports talk radio."
May we add that we are not surprised.
We doubt you Will Be surprised to learn that we don't always agree here at The Memphis Flyer. You should have seen the staff meeting two weeks ago where we discussed the case of the Millington principal who was picked up for patronizing a prostitute and then saw his face plastered on the front page of the daily paper, the morning after his arrest led the local news broadcasts on some TV stations. Some on our staff thought the media was sensationalizing a class-B misdemeanor. Others, notably staff writer Jacqueline Marino, felt otherwise. For her take on this story and how it played in the local media, see "Viewpoint" on page 13.
A caller to our newsroom was puzzled by the term "patronizing a prostitute," and wanted to know exactly what it meant. We called the district attorney's office for the answer. According to Tennessee law 3913.541, the charge "patronizing a prostitute" refers to the act when a person solicits or hires another person with the intent that the other person engages in prostitution.
As for the term "solicitation," the DA's office says that money does not have to be exchanged -- negotiation or verbal agreement is enough. "It's best if money changes hands; it's better proof," says our contact in the DA's office, "but that's not necessary."
In our cover story on community development corporations ("Building Blocks," October 9th issue) David Upton was inaccurately described as the assistant of private developer Harold Buehler. Upton is, in fact, Buehler's political consultant. We regret the mistake.
-- Dennis Freeland