I just couldn’t let this outrageous letter (“Police at Portland Library event sends wrong message,” July 3) get by without a rebuttal. Back in the day (1980s), when I was the children’s librarian in Westbrook, we had a very successful program titled “Hello Neighbor.” It was essentially the same as the “community helper” idea. Each week, we featured various neighbors/helpers along with Metro bus and police personnel – Officer Friendly, remember him? – and a K9 officer and his dog. Popularity guaranteed there!

Children should know all the various community helpers/neighbors and be able to identify them as such, in case they have a need for them such as if they were lost or hurt. Or just to understand their job in the community.

I was disturbed by what I consider a blatantly racist comment from the writer, that Black children would be fearful of seeing a policeman in the library. What better place to learn and understand, in a pleasant environment, about someone in his or her role and their various duties and responsibilities? Or any of the other helpers/neighbors, for that matter? Pharmacists dispense drugs – are we going to bias the children against them?

Let children be children and take the programs at face value. Learn from it, enjoy the experience and leave the adult racial baggage out of it.

Patricia Larrabee
Gray