Paul and Kelly Tanis and Robert Paul Reyes Versus 88 Year Old Edna Jester

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Letter to the Editor

An article by Robert Paul Reyes unfunnily insults the 88 year old victim as "a court jester". In discussing the story with about twenty neighbors and workmates, every one of them feels that the parents Paul and Kelly Tanis look the most stupid, even more so than the police.

The put-upon householder Edna Jester followed a generations-old protocol regarding neighbor kids' toys in one's yard.

When I was a child, no one in my neighborhood (including my parents) would have blamed anyone but the child if a grumpy old person kept a frisbee or ball thrown into their yard, temporarily or permanently. As a parent of young children myself, in similar circumstances I'd first talk to my child about respecting other people's property and only second would I accompany my child to the neighbor's house so that my child could respectfully ask for his ball back. If the old lady said no, I'd be annoyed but I certainly wouldn't call the police on her! Frankly, there is almost no chance that a conviction against her could result from these circumstances.

It was gutless and weaselly for the parents to call the police, and the parents' insane escalation of the matter exposed their lack of basic conflict resolution skills. Are they antisocial? No wonder their kid sees no need to simply move his game 20 feet down the street.

Albert Shrepton