Soleil Ho writes that black students fail to make a slip. San Francisco teachers are under intense pressure not to punish black students. I know a black teacher who was called “racist” for forcing a black student to stay after class to finish his work. Fear of being labeled racist is so great that San Franciscans who try to hold black people accountable for their behavior are labeled elitist, racist, or anti-woke.
As far as admissions goes, places at Lowell High School or top colleges are limited, so it’s a zero-sum game at times.
Robert Ho, San Francisco
Meritocracy doesn’t exist
Re: “Asian Americans Face an Existential Crisis: Do Black Lives Matter Only When It Benefits Us?” (Opinion, SFChronicle.com, May 13): Thank you, Soleil Ho. For making people think this country is on A meritocracy is a mystery to me. How can a society that for centuries has systematically shut out an entire race of people, using both laws and mores that are now the norm and institutionalized, be based on merit?
If you look honestly at history and the present, it is obvious that the meritocracy is a fallacy. It is about access and opportunities that black people have historically and still too often been denied. And when we gain access, all too often our access and presence are questioned and perceived as suspicious. As for bravery, that’s just a joke, isn’t it?
Deborah Caywood-Rukas, San Francisco
Amazon is deforesting retail
Regarding “‘It’s offensive’: Amazon sponsors SF’s Small Business Week – and retailers are upset” (Heather Knight, SFChronicle.com, May 12): Has anyone thought about it? Amazon digs the graves of small businesses every day, with low prices and high fees that eat up the creativity of others. You might be able to get it cheaper on Amazon now, but eventually that will kill the competition until only Amazon decides the choices and the prices we pay.
The empty storefronts in our neighborhoods speak volumes about our losses. We are not powerless. Now that they’re still around, we can still find a local hardware store, an independent bookstore, and a special little retail store to visit. That dollar is a lot better spent here, where we live and work.
Linda May, Berkeley
You get what you pay for
Regarding “Conjuring up the San Francisco ‘terror loop’? Why Some People Say It’s Good News” (San Francisco, SFChronicle.com, May 11): Those hoping for lower rents in San Francisco should be careful what they wish for. They mistakenly assume that all other things, like availability and condition of the rental properties, remain the same.
In fact, landlords in the city are already facing challenges. The mortgage interest is now 7% instead of 4%. Rising maintenance costs are turning a leaky faucet into a $300 plumbing bill. If San Francisco rents fall below operating costs, properties could be neglected, sold, or in the worst case, abandoned. These results will not make San Francisco a better place for anyone to live.
James W. Eyres, San Francisco
The warriors will recover
For the Golden State Warriors, it’s not so much the beginning of the end as it is the end of the beginning.
Sure, the last game of the season is always disappointing unless your team holds the NBA championship trophy. But if you’re a seasoned Warriors fan, you’ll remember whole decades when the dubs had long, quiet pauses for reflection.
The point is, Warriors fans have seen a lot worse. And while it might have been hard to see our heroes sitting dejectedly on the bench as time ticked by in what was an unforgettable, hectic season, one thing is clear.
The end of this campaign is really the beginning of the cobbled together of the two or three pieces that make up yet another team capable of bringing a championship trophy back to the Chase Center.
Bob Wynne, San Francisco
