Carol Pierce: Thankful to live in an area where kids don't fear the police

To The Daily Sun,

I was surprised at the outburst about the cartoon showing a black child and a white child under a table in response to an active shooter drill. The black child was saying, “This feels like preparing for a cop to show up”. For me, so many children live with such fears within the United States, that it seemed an appropriate and important response.

I think of myself as a part of the United States as a whole. Not everything is the same everywhere. I am thankful to live in an area where children do not have to fear the police. A firm, calm statement to a child, who sees a cartoon, such as “We are so fortunate that our police are friends”, should allay fears. For older children, a brief history lesson that some children for too long have had to worry about this, would also be in order.

As I listen to my friends of color in this community, it is important to them that they raise their children cautioned about how they present themselves wherever they are. They do live in the United States and at some time will find themselves in different parts of it throughout their lives. They are the ones that have to learn caution and deal with fears.

There are cartoons in the past that I have felt totally out of place. However, I never considered asking that the cartoons as a whole be cancelled. Cartoons are a succinct way to make us think about how we view some part of life in this country. They have a place in our current environment. Free speech demands that we hear all sides!

I am dismayed that the Laconia Daily Sun has felt it necessary to cancel the cartoon series. We will miss out in understanding who we are as a nation in so many ways!

Carol Pierce

Laconia