Tarrant County DA Sorrells’ harassment of Crystal Mason makes me fear for my own vote | Opinion

Election rights in the crosshairs

Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells is once again going after Crystal Mason, a distressed Black woman who was already cleared of illegally voting on a provisional ballot that wasn’t even counted. (Aug. 22, 1A, “Appellate court to review Tarrant County illegal voting case”) Appealing the case’s dismissal is unnecessary, unethical and unkind. After five years, hasn’t Mason been tortured enough?

This is a mean-spirited fishing expedition that does not make me feel better about voting in Tarrant County. Instead, it scares me. And maybe that is the point. It scares me that my vote or someone else’s could be threatened, that someone trying to register to vote might be scared away from voting.

Do us all a favor and drop the case.

- Penny Baxter, North Richland Hills

Scapegoat for a lack of proof

Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells’ laser focus on Crystal Mason is easily explained. There is so little evidence that our elections are not watertight that he has latched onto this single case.

My tax dollars should not be wasted on this.

- Sandra Soria, Fort Worth

Public libraries offer great value

Mayor Mattie Parker’s call to action challenging the Fort Worth school district is welcome news. (Aug. 29, 10A, “Mayor, other leaders call out school crisis. Is board listening?”) However, school districts need the support of government, community leaders and philanthropy for success.

Public libraries are vital resources in an educated, thriving community, from pre-kindergarten to post-graduate. But in 2021, the city closed the Seminary South library branch, the only one serving southside neighborhoods. Fort Worth must reopen it so the community can take advantage of all the programs our public library system has to offer.

The city should also expand free Wi-Fi service to all Neighborhood Improvement Program communities. And finally, imagine what our libraries could do if they had a dedicated endowment.

City leaders: Walk the walk.

- Rosemary Galdiano, Fort Worth

Abbott must fund our schools

After reading the Aug. 28 front-page story “Mayor calls on FWISD leaders to boost test scores,” it occurs to me that our local leaders seem unwilling to look to Austin and ask why our districts aren’t being given the funding they need. The yearslong slog toward a dead-end voucher scam is leading us nowhere, and Gov. Greg Abbott seems intent to hold our children hostage for his own schemes.

As a parent of a student in Fort Worth public schools, I can say my child has had nothing but dedicated, hardworking teachers who love what they do and want to make a difference, if only our elected leaders would let them.

Let’s start asking the right people the right questions. Where’s our money, Governor?

- Erin Hurst, Fort Worth

Parents have most important role

Fort Worth’s mayor is looking for the reason so many students in the Fort Worth school district can’t read adequately. It isn’t that the hardworking teacher isn’t doing his or her job. Nor is it the fault of the school board. And it isn’t lack of funding.

Children are performing poorly because their parents don’t care. When parents are more interested in whether their children can hit, throw or kick a ball than read or do math, you can see the results.

Folks may scream at the school board, make demands and protest, but until parents get to work mentoring their own children, the failure rate will not improve. That is, assuming the parents can read or do math at a grade level above that of their children.

- Jesse D. Johnson, Crowley