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Complaint Department
Stick to Canvas
I’m calling about the cover of last week’s Reader, “There’s No Feeling Equal to Tagging” (December 12). Even though the headline is a quotation, I feel it was irresponsible of you to put that on the cover, as it kind of glamorizes it. The article was a whole lot better than the title.
As stated, this is over a million-dollar problem in San Diego. A lot of people work really hard to eradicate it. I really sympathize with the people who are in the story (not the taggers). If they consider themselves artists they can stick to canvas and murals. This malicious destruction of property just makes San Diego look like every other ghetto.
- Chris Cott
- La Jolla
Plain Vandalism
Regarding the cover article, “There’s No Feeling Equal to Tagging” (December 12).
Spray painting on public property or others’ private property is vandalism, plain and simple. Although your article is somewhat balanced, the human interest aspect suggesting that vandalism can save a life is absurd.
The existence of the Writerz Blok is a good thing, I suppose, but they have to graffiti on trees? Wow.
- Chris Bowd
- Ocean Beach
Collaboration Request
Re: “There’s No Feeling Equal to Tagging” (December 12 cover story).
Armor is a hottie! Give him my name so we can “collab.”
- Allison Rees
- Ocean Beach
Dangerous Tools
Regarding S.P.’s rant about guns in the last issue. Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
There are plenty of laws. Enforcement is difficult. Guns are tools. Cars are tools. Power saws are tools. These are all dangerous and all require safety training, which is lacking and needed for all dangerous tools.
I’m a crippled old lady and currently unarmed so please do not publish anything but my initials.
- D. T.
- via voicemail
Don’t Mind the Gap
While Matthew Lickona’s holiday list was informative (“70+ Great Ways to Celebrate the Holidays,” December 5 cover story), he missed one free and wonderfully appropriate way to celebrate the holidays — a traditional Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service celebrating the birth of the Christ Child at the church of one’s choice.
It wouldn’t even have been a big stretch to suggest that the celebration could include one of the churches in your advertising section. (No, I don’t have an ad in this section).
Merry Christmas, Matthew. Even with the gap, it was a wonderful list.
- Patsy Gredvig
- Linda Vista
Shot in the Side
Regarding News Ticker: “Former DA May Be Witness in Murder Case,” December 5.
Eva Knott wrote, “[Julie Harper] allegedly shot [Jason Harper] in the back...” Dr. Othon Mena, a San Diego County Medical Examiner, testified at the preliminary hearing in this case on December 11, 2012: “So I lifted up his shirt, and I noted a defect on his left side, a little towards the back, and the defect looked like a gunshot wound.” (Page 144, lines 11-13 of the preliminary hearing transcript.)
Stating Mr. Harper was shot in the back is a misstatement of fact that should be corrected and not repeated. He was shot in the side.
- Name Withheld
- Normal Heights
Nowhere but Up
Hey, Reader, why don’t you do the environment a favor and just stop publishing the Reader and save some newspaper and some trees. Or just fire your entire staff. Because, frankly, they’re giving you a bunch of bullcrap, and you’re paying them for it.
In the November 14 issue you reported about the F Street bookstore chain going out of business (Neighborhood News: “Up for Grabs: F Street Property”). You reported that “F Street still has stores in Miramar, Kearny Mesa, Chula Vista, and the Gaslamp District.” Those locations haven’t been open in some time. You’re paying out money for inaccurate facts.
Now you’re doing this thing where you’re reporting on restaurants along the trolley line on C Street that have gone out of business. Really? After the fact doesn’t do us a damn bit of good. Why are you reporting on restaurants that are no longer around?
Maybe Fat Cat would still be around if you would write about it when it actually still was around (“Farewell, Bulgogi”). The only thing accurate that you did print in that story was the fact that there’s a whole bunch of restaurants that go in that same location and don’t make it. You’d think potential restaurateurs would look at that and go, Maybe I shouldn’t open a restaurant in that location either. But that’s something you guys can’t prevent.
Anyway, we want articles about restaurants we can go to!
Lastly, how many stories can you say continue on page 42 when they don’t, and the stories are actually continued on entirely different pages? Maybe you had a really big client this particular issue and wanted everybody to go to page 42 to see their ad?
You guys have really gone downhill. It sucks that you’re no longer continuing the Matthew Alice series. And I don’t know who decides on your comics, but a lot of them really suck. That, or you’ve got kindergartners taking too many St. Joseph’s Chewable Valium for Children and writing your pages. Like Mild Abandon — what the hell is that? That comic really sucks.
In conclusion: Bring back Matthew Alice. And bring back News of the Weird. I don’t know where it went but it wasn’t in the last issue. Make sure the pages the stories are continued on really are the pages the stories are continued on. Or just print everything on one page and don’t make us jump around. Finally, make sure you check your facts.
I’m waiting to see if you guys go further downhill or if you can actually recover from here. The old saying is that you can’t go anywhere but up.
- Name Withheld
- via voicemail
Blind to Dates
I wanted to inform you of two corrections.
I’m pissed because you keep advertising the Spike and Mike Festival and it was over two months ago! I took somebody from out of town to go see it at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, but it is not happening anymore. It’s been over for two months.
Also, you have an incorrect date in your Best Buys column from the November 14 issue. You’re advertising a holiday entertaining class at Venissimo Cheese. 90 minutes, $50, November 25. I called to make arrangements to go the class and they said that it was a misprint. They told me that the class was actually scheduled for November 29.
Get your act together and get somebody in there to fix the typos. Let’s get some correct dates.
- Claire Newick
- via voicemail
Bile in Every Word
Reading Mr. Marks’ reviews has become painful. This guy thinks he is funny and witty. What he is is a bore.
Gone are the days, at least at your paper, when a movie review provided insight, perspective, and clear direction into what a movie was trying to say. See Siskel, Ebert, A. O. Scott, Roper, Kael, and hundreds more.
Your guy is a buffoon. He does nothing but hate everything and everyone, save “Marty.” Scott Marks is shaming your paper! His review of the Golden Globes was not informative or funny. For those of us who love movies his words were insulting and juvenile.
Do yourselves a favor and run over to some junior college journalism class and get somebody who can write without bile in every word. Your readers will be all the better for it.
- Joseph Genoese
- Downtown
Scott Marks responds to this letter (while getting his hair cut).
Here's something you might be interested in.
Complaint Department
Complaint Department
Stick to Canvas
I’m calling about the cover of last week’s Reader, “There’s No Feeling Equal to Tagging” (December 12). Even though the headline is a quotation, I feel it was irresponsible of you to put that on the cover, as it kind of glamorizes it. The article was a whole lot better than the title.
As stated, this is over a million-dollar problem in San Diego. A lot of people work really hard to eradicate it. I really sympathize with the people who are in the story (not the taggers). If they consider themselves artists they can stick to canvas and murals. This malicious destruction of property just makes San Diego look like every other ghetto.
- Chris Cott
- La Jolla
Plain Vandalism
Regarding the cover article, “There’s No Feeling Equal to Tagging” (December 12).
Spray painting on public property or others’ private property is vandalism, plain and simple. Although your article is somewhat balanced, the human interest aspect suggesting that vandalism can save a life is absurd.
The existence of the Writerz Blok is a good thing, I suppose, but they have to graffiti on trees? Wow.
- Chris Bowd
- Ocean Beach
Collaboration Request
Re: “There’s No Feeling Equal to Tagging” (December 12 cover story).
Armor is a hottie! Give him my name so we can “collab.”
- Allison Rees
- Ocean Beach
Dangerous Tools
Regarding S.P.’s rant about guns in the last issue. Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
There are plenty of laws. Enforcement is difficult. Guns are tools. Cars are tools. Power saws are tools. These are all dangerous and all require safety training, which is lacking and needed for all dangerous tools.
I’m a crippled old lady and currently unarmed so please do not publish anything but my initials.
- D. T.
- via voicemail
Don’t Mind the Gap
While Matthew Lickona’s holiday list was informative (“70+ Great Ways to Celebrate the Holidays,” December 5 cover story), he missed one free and wonderfully appropriate way to celebrate the holidays — a traditional Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service celebrating the birth of the Christ Child at the church of one’s choice.
It wouldn’t even have been a big stretch to suggest that the celebration could include one of the churches in your advertising section. (No, I don’t have an ad in this section).
Merry Christmas, Matthew. Even with the gap, it was a wonderful list.
- Patsy Gredvig
- Linda Vista
Shot in the Side
Regarding News Ticker: “Former DA May Be Witness in Murder Case,” December 5.
Eva Knott wrote, “[Julie Harper] allegedly shot [Jason Harper] in the back...” Dr. Othon Mena, a San Diego County Medical Examiner, testified at the preliminary hearing in this case on December 11, 2012: “So I lifted up his shirt, and I noted a defect on his left side, a little towards the back, and the defect looked like a gunshot wound.” (Page 144, lines 11-13 of the preliminary hearing transcript.)
Stating Mr. Harper was shot in the back is a misstatement of fact that should be corrected and not repeated. He was shot in the side.
- Name Withheld
- Normal Heights
Nowhere but Up
Hey, Reader, why don’t you do the environment a favor and just stop publishing the Reader and save some newspaper and some trees. Or just fire your entire staff. Because, frankly, they’re giving you a bunch of bullcrap, and you’re paying them for it.
In the November 14 issue you reported about the F Street bookstore chain going out of business (Neighborhood News: “Up for Grabs: F Street Property”). You reported that “F Street still has stores in Miramar, Kearny Mesa, Chula Vista, and the Gaslamp District.” Those locations haven’t been open in some time. You’re paying out money for inaccurate facts.
Now you’re doing this thing where you’re reporting on restaurants along the trolley line on C Street that have gone out of business. Really? After the fact doesn’t do us a damn bit of good. Why are you reporting on restaurants that are no longer around?
Maybe Fat Cat would still be around if you would write about it when it actually still was around (“Farewell, Bulgogi”). The only thing accurate that you did print in that story was the fact that there’s a whole bunch of restaurants that go in that same location and don’t make it. You’d think potential restaurateurs would look at that and go, Maybe I shouldn’t open a restaurant in that location either. But that’s something you guys can’t prevent.
Anyway, we want articles about restaurants we can go to!
Lastly, how many stories can you say continue on page 42 when they don’t, and the stories are actually continued on entirely different pages? Maybe you had a really big client this particular issue and wanted everybody to go to page 42 to see their ad?
You guys have really gone downhill. It sucks that you’re no longer continuing the Matthew Alice series. And I don’t know who decides on your comics, but a lot of them really suck. That, or you’ve got kindergartners taking too many St. Joseph’s Chewable Valium for Children and writing your pages. Like Mild Abandon — what the hell is that? That comic really sucks.
In conclusion: Bring back Matthew Alice. And bring back News of the Weird. I don’t know where it went but it wasn’t in the last issue. Make sure the pages the stories are continued on really are the pages the stories are continued on. Or just print everything on one page and don’t make us jump around. Finally, make sure you check your facts.
I’m waiting to see if you guys go further downhill or if you can actually recover from here. The old saying is that you can’t go anywhere but up.
- Name Withheld
- via voicemail
Blind to Dates
I wanted to inform you of two corrections.
I’m pissed because you keep advertising the Spike and Mike Festival and it was over two months ago! I took somebody from out of town to go see it at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, but it is not happening anymore. It’s been over for two months.
Also, you have an incorrect date in your Best Buys column from the November 14 issue. You’re advertising a holiday entertaining class at Venissimo Cheese. 90 minutes, $50, November 25. I called to make arrangements to go the class and they said that it was a misprint. They told me that the class was actually scheduled for November 29.
Get your act together and get somebody in there to fix the typos. Let’s get some correct dates.
- Claire Newick
- via voicemail
Bile in Every Word
Reading Mr. Marks’ reviews has become painful. This guy thinks he is funny and witty. What he is is a bore.
Gone are the days, at least at your paper, when a movie review provided insight, perspective, and clear direction into what a movie was trying to say. See Siskel, Ebert, A. O. Scott, Roper, Kael, and hundreds more.
Your guy is a buffoon. He does nothing but hate everything and everyone, save “Marty.” Scott Marks is shaming your paper! His review of the Golden Globes was not informative or funny. For those of us who love movies his words were insulting and juvenile.
Do yourselves a favor and run over to some junior college journalism class and get somebody who can write without bile in every word. Your readers will be all the better for it.
- Joseph Genoese
- Downtown
Scott Marks responds to this letter (while getting his hair cut).
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