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A letter to the editor from Donna Lind in Scotts Valley
EDITOR,
Having been a part of Scotts Valley Police Department and this community since 1968, I was saddened to read threatening comments from an elected director of the Monte Fiore Home Owners Association (April 25, “E-mail to top cop taken as a threat,” Page 2). I’ve spent my career in Scotts Valley because I’ve always been proud of our department and the relationships and support within our community.
I am offended and saddened to see Monte Fiore director Daryl Tempesta’s comments, including, “I am illustrating that this is getting ugly and will get uglier as the coming elections get closer — there all kinds of motives developing for illegal activity to occur.” I was outraged at Mr. Tempesta’s allegation that 10 years ago, during the arrest of a drunken driver, he witnessed “questionable and probably unnecessary violence.” Mr. Tempesta asserts that he told investigators that he “did not believe at the time that unreasonable force had been used” because he was “conflicted about the event” and was afraid, but that he is “no longer afraid.” He then asks that the police department “object this project in when formally asked. If this is not possible I ask that you please not cooperate with the city counsel (sic) in pushing the Target project here.”
That Mr. Tempesta would claim he gave false information to police investigators is bad enough. To claim he would contradict his past statements and unveil police brutality unless the police department either joined Mr. Tempesta and the Monte Fiore HOA in opposing Target or refrained from taking a position sounds like extortion.
Mr. Tempesta claims to represent the gated community of Monte Fiore and states “I will be continuing to organize members of the community” in this fight. He asks the police department not to cooperate with the City Council to avoid “replacement of civil servants who have served the community for years.”
In the past, I’ve always felt that we could disagree on issues but would always stand together as a community. I ask that we work together in this process to get all the facts, make an informed decision and stop threatening and slanderous accusation and intimidation.
Donna Lind, Scotts Valley
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One more thing: For a woman so "in tune" with the law, you'd think she'd realize that the email could never be considered, in a court of law, to be slanderous. Slander is limited to oral remarks - talking. You're thinking about "libelous." An e-mail can be libelous. However the e-mail Donna is talking about is, well, quite innocent. Just misread, misinterpreted.
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