To the editor,
Regarding Terry Godwin's letter accusing Lezlie Lowe of portraying Amy Lee Collins's mom in a bad light ("Chasing the truth," June 14), I disagree. First of all, Godwin pointed out that the difference between Amy's mother not believing her and allowing molestation to continue "is huge." Huh? If I went to either of my own parents with a claim like that, my biggest fear would be that one of my parents would be sent to prison for killing the person I accused, without asking questions.
Secondly, the fact Amy was on the street at all speaks for itself. Where are these kids' parents? If your kid is living on the street, you devote the rest of your life to fixing this problem, even if it is futile. End of story.
I realize that not everyone comes from a loving family, not everyone has someone to look out for them, not every parent has the tools to deal with their children and some parents have their own issues to deal with. I am not naive to this fact. Perhaps Amy's mother did the best she could, perhaps not. I can't judge a person I don't know.
However, Lezlie Lowe was pointing out that not every person chooses to be on the street, and this is difficult to remember when some 20-year-old is cussing you because you said you didn't want to give them change. Every person in my university that I saw pick up The Coast turned to Amy's story. The fact that there are people on the streets who need our help is sometimes overshadowed by the few who choose to be there. Amy's story, and her mother's role in it, will hopefully serve as a daily reminder of those whose circumstances are less fortunate.
By Allison Currie
