Responding to Sunday's column, a Sun reader writes:

I was in downtown Balto watching a play at IND with my 4-year-old. Meanwhile, my husband took my 2 year old down the street to play at a nearby playground. A bunch of black men were harrassing them and it pissed me off. I don't consider myself a racist. I support STRIVE DC and hope to donate to STRIVE Balto etc.  . . . but I thought to myself: Why are black people forever bitching about the white man, when God knows a white person can't step into a black neighborhood without being harrassed? It's so tempting to lump all black people together (I'm always telling my husband not to...) Thanks for reminding me not to judge all people of a race just because of all the drug dealers. Not all of them want that life. So many are trying so hard to rise above the difficult circumstances in their lives. I'm so sorry for the loss of this wonderful young man. Thanks for this critical reminder. There's no room for racism and cynicism in this critical fight.

From Tedd Nunn in Columbia:

People in Maryland and around the country are already working to find creative ways of stemming the tide of violence, so we can get to the point where the tragedy of Christopher Clark would stand out instead of just being so much noise in the background of a violent society. Unfortunately, the voices of sanity, reason, and creativity are often shouted down or otherwise marginalized as being impractical or utopian. "Violence is part of human nature," is an argument we often hear as our ideas are being dismissed. I would suggest that conflict is a part of the human experience, but that our choice to respond either violently or nonviolently is a result of what we have been taught or, more likely, what we have not been taught. 
Just last week, the Maryland House of Delegates Health and Government Operations committee voted down a proposal to establish a task force that would promote peaceful and nonviolent ways of resolving conflict in the state (Maryland House Bill #902). I don't know why this no-cost bill was defeated, but I think this might be a good place for some investigative reporting. If they are not supporting this type of measure, what else are our elected officials doing to make sure the next Christopher Clark tragedy is averted?
On the national front, there is a movement afoot to create a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence. House bill 808 would establish a cabinet-level department in the federal government that would be responsible for researching, articulating and disseminating programs that would address gang violence, domestic violence and other tragic aspects of our society where proven nonviolent techniques would make a positive difference if they could be more broadly applied. So far, Representative Albert Wynn (Maryland District #4) and Representative Elijah Cummings (Maryland District #7) have stepped forward in support of this visionary legislation. Where is Steny Hoyer on this? Where is Senator Mikulski? Again, if our other Representatives and Senators are not going to support this specific legislation, what else are they going to do help counter rampant violence in our society?
Although I am deeply saddened by what happened to Christopher Clark, I am heartened by your call to not let this incident go by without some reflection and, hopefully, action. Please continue to use your media voice to encourage people who would hope to see a different type of society and stimulate the exchange of ideas that can make this happen. We need to use all means at our disposal to create the culture of peace, nonviolence and sanity that everyone wants.