"Ann J. Smith's letter of March 3, 2002, (How can we prevent more student attacks? The Daily Progress) concerning the recent violence in Charlottesville, was a real eye opener for me. I have lived here for over 30 years and have apparently not been paying attention. I have somehow missed how much we have embraced political correctness, and how much we have lost our sense of community.

Ms. Smith asks, 'What have we as a committed, diverse community done to prevent incidents like this?' I do not know specifically what we have done as far as prevention, although I can speculate that it involves government programs and the redistribution of income. I will say that we have done much to encourage these attacks.

We have encouraged these attacks with our hypocrisy. If gangs of white citizens were beating black citizens, Al Sharpton, Ms. Smith, Mayor Caravati and God knows who else would be on the steps of city hall with the Rev. Edwards to express their outrage. Where is that outrage now? Don't you see that the likes of Sharpton on one side and David Duke on the other, seek to divide not unify. The result of calling ourselves African-Americans or European-Americans is division. The hyphen, small as it is, keeps us apart. We are all just Americans.

We have encouraged these attacks by becoming a society of enablers. Attacking a black person or a homosexual is a hate crime. Attacking a white college student is an act of 'frustration.' Look at the effort that is expended to excuse, explain or understand this violence. Why have we not gotten the message out that all violence is unacceptable?

We have encouraged these attacks by refusing to insist that citizens accept responsibility for their actions. Ms. Smith contends that 'we all should be held accountable for the most recent incidents.' She could not be farther from the truth. The community must stand up and state that an attack on one citizen is an attack on us all. Only the attackers must be held accountable.

Finally, Ms. Smith asks, 'What must I do now to prevent something like this from happening again ...?' I have some answers for you. You should state firmly and unambiguously that violence is unacceptable. If you attack another citizen, you will lose your freedom. Teach your students that through hard work and achievement, those with less can have more. Teach them not to make excuses for themselves, but to take responsibility for their lives. Teach them to look for leaders who have courage. Teach them that the government does not hold the solutions to all of our problems. And, most importantly, teach them about community. Teach them that an individual's rights cease when they infringe upon another's. Teach them that they have no right to attack another citizen, that no one will make any excuses for them. The community will not stand for it." (Howard A. Pape, The Daily Progress, March 21, 2002)