I am appalled by the Baltimore Sun's coverage of the recent incident in which a black teenager was allegedly beaten up by a member of Shomrim ("Tension in Park Heights," Dec. 5). Our justice system requires a presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of law. Yet your reporters chose to totally disregard that basic tenet, tried and convicted a young man with no prior criminal record and then chose to interview rabble-rousing clergymen to justify their "verdict" and try to create a rift between the black and Jewish communities.
Truth be told, blacks and Jews living in the Park Heights community do have their differences, which nobody denies, but when issues arise they are usually handled in a respectful dignified manner. We do not need outside agitators to offset this balance by threatening riots, nor do we need reporters to fuel the fire. Let's let our legal system determine whether a crime was committed, but until that time let's not rush to judgment.
