Willow Glen Resident

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Willow Glen is a low
priority for the police

If the San Jose Police Department is not willing to take an active role in the safety of our community, Willow Glen will become a haven for those nefarious people that make such places a den of thieves.

During the last two years I have had numerous conversations with my neighbors about the sad response we have received from the police department when we have called 911 regarding suspicious people lurking in, or around, our parking lots and homes.

The response we have received has been all over the board, from being put through to an answering machine to, "We can't respond because they will be gone by the time we get there," to my favorite, "We can't respond to your problem; please fill out a report on our website."

They can't respond to our needs, yet they have no problem making me drive around the block 50 times while I wait for my child to get out of school because there are "No Parking" zones across the street from the school.

In our part of Willow Glen, the crime has escalated from cars being broken into to cars being stolen. When we have complained to the appropriate police authorities, they conveniently can't find any record of our 911 calls, and tell us there is nothing they can do. We have also been told Willow Glen is a low priority, and this is where they train all of their new officers.

After two years and 40 conversations with the San Jose Police Department, we submitted our concerns to San Jose City Councilman Ken Yeager, but even that has led to nothing more than lip service.

It would seem that Mr. Yeager is more interested in the library and garden projects than the safety of those in Willow Glen. Now it has come to my attention that Mr. Yeager is running for county supervisor. If Mr. Yeager isn't capable of taking action on the local level, then how will he be able to do it at the county level?

Does Willow Glen need to become a den of thieves before the police department takes an active interest in the safety of our community? I hope not.

Terri Youngs

Willow Glen

Was Heintze example
a representative case?

In his recent column on April 26 "What to do about illegal immigrants?" Carl Heintze describes the case of a hard-working girl who surely deserves our sympathy. I do not know anyone who doesn't have great sympathy for such a case, and the many cases just like the one he describes. But Heintze doesn't even pretend to claim this as a representative case. No background checks are made on illegal immigrants to distinguish the hardworking ones from the potential troublemakers. Since we have no data on these people, we just don't know whom the estimated more than 10 million illegal immigrants represent.

I watched the immigration rights parade. A million people claiming to represent Hispanic ancestry marched through the streets, saying they were on strike and would boycott American products. Some of them were carrying Mexican flags, others were carrying pictures of Communist revolutionary Che Guevara, and signs demanding part of the United States be turned over to another country.

The people who planned this parade want us to believe this is the view of all people of Hispanic ancestry. To the extent that they succeed, they cast doubt and suspicion, not sympathy.

Robert Parkhurst

Redwood City

Lifestyles homes are
designed with taste

Who needs to go to the Sunset House in Palo Alto when we have our own "Idea House" on Patio Drive?

Once again our community had a great home tour representing the broad range of lifestyles in Willow Glen. The newly remodeled home on Norman Avenue is an example of a great large home without it looking like a monster house. The built-from-the-ground-up newer home on Willow Glen Way is another fine example of a house that has stood the test of time with great construction. The large lot on Cherry Avenue reminds us of the vanishing breed of large lots that are now being subdivided. Any outdoor event would be great at the Martz home. The Milligan home on Clarence Court was a good display of updating the exterior of a home while enhancing and blending in with the rest of the neighborhood. Finally, I want all the toys from the Maggetti house on Patio Drive. How can I live without a TV display in my bathroom mirror?

Patrick Coleman

Cherry Valley Drive