Soul of the City

Dear Editor:I've read the recent Soul of the City series in the Patriot. It does attempt to present an objective overview of the situation with the Downey Civic Light Opera, and did indeed touch on several salient points. I especially took notice of the word "sabotage." Some of us feel that the article should have touched more on the financial figures, and the customer dissatisfaction with VenueTech management. Their imitation Elvis-style one-night stands and rocks stars falling into orchestra pits just doesn't qualify as high-end entertainment. I see that the city has reversed its decision regarding discounts for legacy groups. Very nice, but sadly the damage has been done. This fall for the first time in decades, there will be no musical in Downey. If the city is really genuine about wanting to help, they might offer a forbearance or forgiveness of any debts owed by DCLO. The organization has had this situation forced upon them. A problem that exists when you do something so well (as Marsha Moode and her team have done for so many years producing these musicals) is that you make it look easy. I read that there is someone who wishes to step in and resurrect the DCLO. Bear two things in mind: 1.) The name of, the rights to, and the subscriber list for DCLO are all legally owned by such. 2.) You'll be hard pressed to ever find someone with the talent, education, experience and work ethic of Marsha Moode. These things are all crucial for success in such endeavors. Finally, I restate my hope that DCLO will find a new home in the near future where it will receive the respect it deserves as a tenant, and will continue presenting this unique art form. Mike Sanburn Bellflower

Dear Editor: If you are still trying to climb over Lawrence Christon's Aug. 22 wall of text, allow me as a public service to summarize the basic gist: 1.) Mr. Lawrence thoroughly believes his long life and experiences uniquely and preeminently qualify him to declare what is or isn't good art (among sundry pronouncements), 2.) He believes that art in Downey blows massive chunks, a sentiment he shares about Downey's restaurants and nightlife, though the logical connection falls along the lines of whatever does the magnesium have to do with the gymnasium, and 3.) He would rather keep us in suspense (let us assign pure motives) as to how he would fix the whole sorted mess that so deeply rankles him, because he offers not a single solution. To Mr. Christon I make the following suggestion: burn fewer calories writing expansive diatribes and casting aspersions on everything and everyone, and instead direct your energy to the hard work of imagining a positive way forward and solving problems. The grenade-throwing approach may seem like great fun, but it just comes across as mean-spirited and cranky. To The Downey Patriot editor I ask the following question: have we run out of relevant stories to tell that we so desperately need to fill in that much newspaper real estate with rambling attacks on our citizens and civic organizations? Mercifully, it appears I am responding to the final installment of the bash Soul of the City series. This affords us all respite to take a deep breath and brace ourselves before Mr. Christon is once again filled with copious textual inspiration. Eduardo Suastegui Downey

Dear Editor: I was extremely disappointed at the choice of words in Lawrence Christon's article, "Can Downey Return to a Place of Cultural Prominence?" For an article about culture, I was shocked at Christon's cultural insensitivity when he refers to one of the three high schools he attended in New York as "inner city ghetto." The majority of cultured people understand that "ghetto" is no longer a politically correct term when describing poor, urban environments. Here are some other words that would have conveyed his message just as effectively: urban, high needs, low-income. I hope Christon and Edit team have a healthy discussion over this matter, and that the staff at The Downey Patriot learn to edit out culturally insensitive words and phrases. If cultural prominence is what Downey wants, it sounds like we have a long journey ahead of us. Christine Hasircog Downey

Dear Editor: Unquestionably, "Soul of the City" is the most important material ever published in The Downey Eagle/Patriot. To writer Lawrence Christon, bravo, and thank you, friend. Joyce Sherwin Downey

********** Published: Aug. 29, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 20