Disappointment with TJ’s
As much as I appreciate having a Trader Joe’s in Montrose, it was disappointing to watch another new building go up without solar panels. For anyone concerned with clean energy, this was a missed opportunity. With the City now drafting plans to develop north Glendale and Foothill Boulevard, I urge fellow residents to activate a new set of priorities, making sure that public funds are used to invest in renewable energy options wherever possible.
Nalini Lasiewicz
La Cañada

Father Speaks Out
In the years following [daughter] Berlyn’s murder, I was forced to live without an answer that would explain why Paul Crowder killed her. The anguish and gnawing confusion was devastating. So, I reached out to Paul, the only one who had the answers.  It is not that I forgave him by doing so; rather, I wanted answers.

It took a long time to acquire one another’s trust, but in the process of corresponding, a tragic person gradually emerged from the murderer. Was it the same person that had fired that fatal bullet 20 years ago? I didn’t know.

With time, it occurred to me that the only good left to do from the tragedy was to retrieve Paul Crowder from the claustrophobic hell of prison and finally end the suffering. My hope is that, as a result, he would humbly remember Berlyn in reestablishing his place in society. With that in mind, I elected to support his release, choosing to err, if I indeed I was, on the side of compassion. I found no solace in maintaining hatred or in the continuation of suffering.

I do not speak for my family. They have taken a different position that I understand and fully support.

Thank you [to Prom Plus] for your gallant efforts in memory of Berlyn and for your kind outreach to a new generation of graduates. You will always have a special place in my heart.
Mark Cosman

Some Clarification
I would like to add a bit of background to Mike Lawler’s latest Treasures of the Valley column (“The Montrose Town Clock,” Nov. 3).

He relates that a local gentleman “… maintains Montrose’s Vietnam War memorial and raises and lowers the American flag there.” The complete story is that the flag at Oceanview and Honolulu is lowered every Friday afternoon and is typically not raised again until Saturday morning nowadays.

This is done each week at the direction of the Montrose Shopping Park Association that has mandated that the flag be lowered for “political demonstrations” at the site. The appearance of the Montrose peace vigil, a lawful, peaceful protest of our current foreign wars, inspired the Association to enact the policy.

Prior practice (I think, but will be happy to be corrected) had been to display the flag 24/7 including in inclement weather, as the U.S. Flag Code sanctions, given proper illumination at that corner and an all-weather flag.

My colleagues and I in the vigil try not to be bitter or angry over the lowering of the flag, which certainly seems to be saying that our political speech is less worthy of respect than that of others who gather there, and would also seem to directly contradict values for which our servicepeople and their families sacrifice.

While I appreciate Mike’s affectionate chronicle of our community and understand that his column is not about reporting the who, what, when, and why of local events, I think this added information may be of interest to readers now and in the future.
Roberta Medford
Montrose