People wonder what is going on in St. Paul with the trash issue. As one of the plaintiffs on the lawsuit, I’m happy to provide a little background and perspective.

About a year ago, despite much contention by residents, the city announced a mandatory trash plan. It was expensive, it had flaws. No sharing was allowed, no opting out. People were mad.

A petition was started. Over 6,000 signatures were gathered and submitted to the city. The petition was deemed sufficient for a referendum. The city at this point was duty bound to honor the petition by putting the trash ordinance on the ballot for a city wide vote. The city refused, and a lawsuit ensued. On May 30, Judge Castro ruled that the plaintiffs did have right to referendum. The city appealed. On Aug. 20, the case will be heard by the Minnesota Supreme Court. The deadline for ballot entries is Aug. 23.

The city of St. Paul has a city charter. It is like a mini constitution for a city. As not many cities have this, we are rather fortunate. Our most current charter was approved by voters in 1972. The charter defines the roles of the City Council and mayor along with defining the city’s general authority to finance and tax for public services.

The really wonderful thing about our charter is that it gives citizens a healthy voice in how our city is governed.

1. If we want a certain law, but the city won’t create the ordinance, we can create the ordinance ourselves.

2. If we disagree with an ordinance passed by the city, we can oppose it.

In both scenarios we collect signatures for a petition.

Once the petition has been presented and deemed sufficient, it goes to a citywide vote.

That’s it. The process is very clearly defined, very simple.

What is difficult is the process of obtaining thousands of signatures within a short period of time and in a perfect manner. If someone has sloppy writing or should names not match voting records perfectly (i.e. Matt vs. Matthew) signatures can be rejected. When a petition has been deemed “sufficient” it is a great accomplishment. Many individuals will have been involved donating countless hours, just to have their voices heard.

This is the process. This is what is so fantastic about our city charter. It allows us to voice our opinions and have a say in how we are governed.

It doesn’t matter which side of the trash issue you stand. You will have a voice. You will be able to vote for or against the city’s trash plan.

This has become so much more than city trash. This is a lesson in civics. We are now seeing what happens when the mayor and city council are challenged by their constituents.

Ann Dolan, St. Paul

No, you don’t need a phone mount

The cover page of Sunday’s Life section screams “You need a phone mount: Let us (the Pioneer Press) help.”

I disagree with the premise that drivers need a phone mount.

A mount is the equivalent of a third hand holding a phone so we can see it, which is distracted driving.

The phone can stay in the back seat where we’re not tempted to look at it. Instead of relying on GPS directions, let’s plan our trip before we start and memorize the route.

Kathy Malchow, St. Anthony Village

The lessons of history

I am just one of thousands of American Jews calling for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the closure of every single detention center that is holding undocumented people across this country.

I am not the descendant of Holocaust survivors. My family was able to escape the targeted racial violence and poverty of the Pale of Settlement in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century and come to America. Now, the same kind of horrors suffered by Jews in Holocaust-era Europe are being imposed upon refugees and immigrants to the USA. Typhus has broken out among children in these border camps. Typhus is what killed Anne Frank. How many Anne Franks must die before we learn the lessons of history?

The dehumanization and torture of people simply seeking a better way of life, fleeing what climate change and American imperialism have wrought, is contra to every purportedly American value. Torture is wrong. Detention without due process is wrong. Sorting people into camps based on their ethnicity and country of origin is wrong. These camps must be closed, and ICE must be systematically dismantled.

Elana Dahlager, St. Paul

As we bomb and shoot at people

Ruben Rosario’s July 7 column states, “My thoughts went back to Libya, the border, other places of conflict. Here I am. No one is shooting at or bombing us.”

Now is this shooting and bombing stuff only for bad people with bad governments, and we not getting bombed or shot at, because we’re good democratic people?

As we bomb and shoot at people in Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and soon Iran.

All the gratitude can only come from having the best and most powerful military — it certainly doesn’t come from being right.