WW did a good job of profiling the conflicting sides and opinions of Kelly Clark, but one fact remains: He is doing everything in his power--and getting paid--to deny gays and lesbians equal rights. And that's just plain wrong.

David Sterns
Northwest Everett Street

WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE

Let me see if I have this straight: Officer Scott McCollister killed an unarmed Black woman in 2003; 10 months later, officer Jason Sery killed an unarmed Black man; District Attorney Michael Schrunk has never indicted a killer cop; the mayor has steadfastly resisted all meaningful efforts at reform; three years after their own study showed that Black drivers were two-and-a-half times more likely to be stopped than whites, the Portland Police have done nothing to stop racial profiling; the media refuses to print photos of Sery and McCollister (a level of anonymity not offered to civilians accused of wrongdoing)--and we at Rose City Copwatch appear in the "Rogue" column for bringing attention to this state of affairs?

We didn't create the "generalized anti-cop hysteria" your column mentions. The Portland Police did that all by themselves. They have killed four people of color in the past year. They awarded a medal to Jeffrey Bell for killing Jose Mejia. And they welcomed Scott McCollister back after a five-month break. No wonder people hate them.

If the cops are worried about community relations, they should clean up their act. They could start by firing Jason Sery.

And if your newspaper is concerned about healing the community, perhaps you should scrutinize the cops' role in preserving racial inequality, rather than trying to blame "crazed leftists" for public discontent.

We're just the messengers.

Kristian Williams
Member, Rose City Copwatch
Southeast Belmont Street

LEIF LOVERS

In both our personal and business relations with Leif Hansen, we have found him to be a person of integrity and strong convictions. Leif is committed to his advertised message of being a consumer advocate. He cares about his customers. Even his response in your article ["Collision Course," WW, April 7, 2004] proves that Leif is not one to "back off" in the face of pressure to be politically correct.

Leif is also a gentleman, and a loving family man, and we find it difficult to believe that he would be involved in an assault on anyone.

We found that there had been numerous customer complaints filed against Geico (since June 2002). Large-volume businesses that have been doing business for a long period of time will have consumer complaints against them, but they just don't stay in business unless they satisfy most of the people, most of the time.

Jim Walen, General Manager
Amy Teufel, Controller Courtesy Ford
Northeast 122nd Avenue