A typical injustice
Colby Frazier's report on the mishandling of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping [May 19, City Weekly, "The Smart Files"] would be shocking if the impossibility of justice in America weren't so typical. In fact, the only discordant note is sounded by Detective Cordon Parks, who remarks, as gratuitously as inaccurately, that "We don't actually have a lot of cases around here where innocent people are accused of crimes." How can he know? Does anyone honestly believe that if Elizabeth Smart had not turned up alive in Salt Lake—had David Mitchell killed her—that the deceased Richard Ricci would have remained on the books as her presumed, albeit unprovable killer, and the case left open forever? Ricci's connection to the Smart family was exactly the same as Mitchell's: They both worked for Ed Smart. The only meaningful difference was that Ricci had been dismissed, while Mitchell was still working for Smart up until the kidnapping, whereupon he disappeared as abruptly as Elizabeth.
Sure, that's 20/20 hindsight. We all experience it, and may gain insight from it. What most of us will never experience is the purportedly universal conviction of police that their best tool is their intuition, a human power as illusionary and misleading as our power to remotely judge celebrities. Whether it's Kate Beckett or John Luther, every TV cop trusts their "gut," and it seems a good guess that their creators get that idea from actual police lore: a source of malpractice on a scale that, contrary to Parks' testimony, is rumored to send 10,000 innocent suspects to prison every year. Next time you hear an authority sneer that, "Oh, yes, the prisons are full of men, every one of whom is innocent," consider that he may be simply closer to the truth than he can afford to admit.
Geoff Wichert
Murray
CW staff dishonors many
I have been turning to City Weekly of late, due to The Salt Lake Tribune's reduction in content, and I came across your column "Staff Box" [May 19]. I am no tea-bagger and find myself in accord with most of CW's content, articles and reporters, but I was severely taken aback by the gross insensitivity displayed by staff answers to the question "How will you celebrate Armed Forces Day?" Jeremiah Smith's answer, that he was going to soak his bones in booze and hot spring water, was the most egregious. Without the incredible sacrifices of our armed forces, he could easily be headed for the Thermalbad for some schnapsen. Bask in the beauty and freedoms of our country, but do not forget from whence they came.
Kudos to comments by Scott Renshaw and Mason Rodrickc. The other staff members should be required to attend some type of sensitivity training including a book report on the book The Faith of Our Fathers—I am sure it is available in CliffsNotes.
Paul Kleiber
Salt Lake City
Pickleball revival
Growing up in Ohio, I worked at a swim club as a high school student where Pickleball was a main attraction, I myself becoming an avid player. I was excited to see articles in City Weekly and The Salt Lake Tribune regarding the growth of Pickleball across Utah.
With that said, as the executive director of a youth sports nonprofit, this past winter we renovated a dilapidated warehouse in downtown Salt Lake City into a multipurpose recreation center with the purpose of drawing in more types of nontraditional "play" during the winter (and summer). We received a grant to install two courts provided by Connor Sport Court and have used the space primarily for "Futsal," a variation of street soccer. However, I think Pickleball would be an excellent addition to our space and I love the health benefits that the sport provides.
Tyler Stockstill
Salt Lake City
