To the editor:
I'm wondering if anyone reading the Journal-World feels as disconcerted as I do about the headline, "Blaze May Hint of Hate Crime?"
If Tim Carpenter's reporting is accurate, Kathi Firns-Hubert, intensive English language teacher at Hillcrest, made several inflammatory statements, based on no evidence whatsoever, supporting her fears that the blaze may have been set to intimidate foreign students.
Tim Carpenter added fuel to the fire by reporting that "vandals painted the Nazi swastika on trailers at Hillcrest," sometime in the past, in addition to other statements supporting his "hate crime" theme.
Rich Barr, our fire marshal, is reported as having said no evidence has been found to suggest a hate crime. He also is quoted as having said, "It's possible, but there's no indication of that for us."
Come on, folks ... what's going on here? Why incite people's fears? Can't we wait for the truth to come out?
Perhaps the grown-ups need lessons on how not to fan the flames of prejudice.
Grace Cooper,
Lawrence
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