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MAYFAIR MALL

Actions of a few will affect many

In the Journal Sentinel's Jan. 4 editorial, the Editorial Board noted that there should not be a rush to judgment when considering Sunday's group incident at Mayfair Mall. At the same time, the editorial reflected on the speed with which information (or misinformation) spreads.

If the mall does not act decisively and swiftly with a very public display of "look what we're doing," it will become a victim of the very perceptions that the incident created - a mall full of groups of wild teenagers wreaking havoc, despite any reasonable and truthful assertions to the contrary.

Clearly, this was an isolated incident, reminiscent of the group of kids who ran through Summerfest crowds a few years ago randomly smacking people. I don't think we've seen that since.

As a father of teens who frequent the mall (and don't generally cause random property damage), I can say that their perception of what happened focuses on the perpetrators, not on the mall. It's clear to my kids that they, along with the vast majority of teens who go to the mall and don't cause issues, will soon be subject to overly aggressive, knee-jerk rules put in place because of the actions of this group.

So here we are, stuck. If the mall doesn't do anything, misconceptions perpetuate. If the mall acts, we're letting the behavior of fewer than 100 kids (out of 9 million shoppers annually) affect many thousands for the foreseeable future. Losers all around.

Dave Cadrette

Wauwatosa

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Only good students

I think Mayfair Mall should expand its parental escort policy to all hours the mall is open and should change the policy.

A student photo ID and the most recent report card should be required. Over 3.0, in they go. Or if they can show they are a member of a school team or organization, in they go. It might be easier for kids to register ahead of time and get a badge or pass that is checked when entering.

Kids who are good students or who are on teams with codes of conduct will not make trouble. Period.

That way the mall does not punish the vast majority of teens who want to hang out and socialize and spend $10 to $100 at the nicest mall in town.

Pamela Penzey

Wales

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Don't downplay Mayfair melee

I'm writing in response to Eugene Kane's Jan. 4 column on the Mayfair Mall melee.

I think Kane downplaying this disturbance is a huge error. Stores overrun. Products toppled to ground. People (black and white) pushed around and a gunshot fired in the parking lot. That is a tired old story that should not be blown out of proportion? Is he actually serious?

When does it stop being a "blown out of proportion" story? When someone is seriously injured, maybe shot? When you start losing anchor stores? Remember Northridge?

I was born and raised in Wauwatosa. I spent a lot of time at Mayfair as a young adult. I find it to be a sad story. And a scary story. But certainly not a tired old story.

It is foolish and irresponsible to try to downplay what happened at Mayfair Mall.

John Geiger

Bayside

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GUANTANAMO

Congress must act to close center

This January, we mark both the ninth anniversary of the opening of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and the second anniversary of executive orders that both halted our nation's use of torture and mandated that Guantanamo be closed.

Unfortunately, Guantanamo has not been closed. Instead, it remains open, a symbol of torture, with no end date in sight.

Worse, Congress has not acted to make permanent the president's prohibition of torture. Torture is a violation of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United States signed on to this treaty, making it part of our constitutional obligations. Torture, therefore, is a violation of our Constitution.

In 2011, Congress should honor the Constitution and act to strengthen the standards preventing the abuse of detainees to ensure that the International Committee of the Red Cross has access to all detainees and to give the administration the flexibility it needs to close Guantanamo.

Don Timmerman

Casa Maria Hospitality House

Milwaukee

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SOLAR ENERGY

Renewable energy will create jobs

The news that W Solar Group will move its headquarters to Wisconsin could not have come at a better time (Page 1B, Dec. 31).

As Gov. Scott Walker focuses on creating 250,000 jobs in Wisconsin, the move by W Solar Group is a great example of how renewable energy will create new jobs, protect consumers from increasingly expensive fossil fuel costs and drive billions of dollars in capital investment into our economy.

Wisconsin's reliance on fossil fuels - coal, oil and natural gas - is fueling global warming, polluting our environment, harming our health, stalling our economy and threatening our security. Yet we have the ability to change all of that.

Earlier this year, a report from the Solar Foundation and Wisconsin Environment showed that Wisconsin is fifth in the nation in the number of solar industry jobs. In Walker's first term, he has the ability to continue our state's tradition of leading in the solar industry and to embrace policies that create jobs while bringing us cleaner energy.

Scott Thompson

Wisconsin Environment

Madison