To the editor:

Having driven all over Lawrence this past week, I couldn’t help but notice that west of Massachusetts Street the “Vote Yes” for Proposition 1 signs are prevalent. On the east side of Mass. St., there are “Jail NO!” signs everywhere.

It saddens me deeply that the powers that be have succeeded in sowing fear among the privileged. Each of us came into the world with nothing. Those of us who were born into plenty might want to think about why we focus on guarding those advantages, instead of passing on what we have been given through no power of our own. We didn’t choose in which country we were born, which race our parents were, in which socioeconomic place we landed or what kind of morals our family practiced. Instead of worrying about possessing and securing what we have, we might want to offer tools to those who have never been given the opportunities we have. The gifts of health, including mental health, depend largely on our manner of living. How about we offer the tools for health, treat illness and work to understand systemic risks, instead of waiting to punish the results of primarily protecting our own?