Fanning the flames of bigotry

I applaud the author's effort to put forth a balanced position in the article "Attack Marks Shift in South African Violence," Dec. 1. In the author's pursuit of fairness, however, he unnecessarily includes the "armed robber" paragraph.

This admittedly tragic criminal act is not uncommon, and its recounting detracts from the article, as it does not elucidate the subject matter, which is political violence. If the alleged armed robber had been white, then the crime would not have found its way into this story. It's inclusion serves only to fan the flames of ignorance and bigotry. Jonathan Tynes, Newburyport, Mass.

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