McCall created true victims -- not just whiners

"And his is a brutal legacy that created true victims."

True enough and I really do think that the black stain this man left on the law enforcement community was sufficient enough to overshadow any contributions he may have made for the good of the community.

Where we differ in opinion is who those "victims" are. And I believe that is where the breakdown of the word victim begins. Victims of someone's actions are those who were DIRECTLY affected by anothers actions/words. As a Native American, I do not consider myself a victim of the atrocities that were inflicted upon my ancestors. My ancestors were the victims, they were the ones who were directly affected and had to live through it. Has the outcome changed my life and history ....yes, do I think that gives me the right to whine about what was done to them and expect compensation or the world to jump through hoops to appease my sensibilities.....NO.

Darryl,

I moved to Lake County in 1974. I had read about Willis McCall in a magazine article years earlier so I asked the locals about him. Blacks and whites were unanimous in their respect and admiration for him as a tough Sheriff. I met several black families in Umatilla who told me about his generosity and kindness. After hearing dozens of these families talk of his good deeds, like paying for funerals and gravestones, paying for school clothes for their kids, providing cash during hard times, generous gifts at Christmas, the list goes on, I learned that, as they these nice black folks told me, that he went along with this image of a tough and sometimes brutal law man because it kept crime down. It kept criminals, both black and white, in fear of 'getting caught'. Maybe it worked.... I don't know. But I did learn that he wasn't the person he was made out to be..... personally. I met his son (not knowing who he was) and had lunch with him....sitting in an eatery on 5th ave. in Mt Dora across the downtown park, his dad walked in, saw his son and sat with us. He was a true gentleman and was very respectful of my ethnicity and said absolutely nothing to lead me to believe he was a racist. He even paid for my lunch at the Pepper Cafe (I just remembered the name) that day. Eventually, I met the family and they welcomed me into their home and I can assure you, Darryl, that if you had met this man personally, you would know the truth about his reputation. Like you, I'm an ethnic minority and dark-skinned and I had every chance to see bigotry or prejudice in this man or in his family - there was none. You repeated stories you heard and read in your column and have made an error in perpetuating a myth. Who is the real "victim" Darryl? You carry a great deal of power with your position....you could have done the right thing yet you jumped on the bandwagon and created more victims.

Respectfully,
Robert
Tavares

I was also born and raised in the Umatilla area (think i know you Robert), i agree with your online comment about Willis McCall. Hope the family goes after D. Owens for a slander suit. You have no business being a reporter.

Hmmm..... Let me think about this.... you're from Umatilla. You can read and write... Oh! Yeah!! That was easy, I know exactly who you are!!!

Well, if you really know me, you know I'm joking..... I know there's a few others up there that can read and write.

What isn't a joke is this whole issue that inspired Darryl Owens to put in his two cents worth. I guess he thinks he's entitled to say what ever he thinks he's suppose to say because he's black. Is that true Darryl? Too bad Darryl didn't do his homework. He may as well be charged with plagiarism because he said nothing true or original. But he's licensed to do that - remember, he's not a journalist or a reporter - he's just a columnist. They can say anything they want and he just contributed to one end of the pendulum's swing from dumbass to intelligent. I've spoken to his superiors in the past - he won't be around much longer - for doing exactly what he did on this column... Write shallow crap to fill a page. Darryl, you're work is mindless fluff and you've been described as a moron by your peers - yes, by Sentinel staffers... They said you reached your Peter principle the day you wrote your first column.

Darryl: Why don't you go to Umatilla and actually talk to the black residents there and not just the four brain-washed activists that started rolling the wagon you blindly jumped on. Why didn't you read Willis McCall's biography and some objective articles in law enforcement and real news archives? Is that beyond your grasp? You would have learned that everything you implied about him was bullshit. Darryl, you want to be famous and respected?? Try infusing your columns with intellect, truth and fairness. Take some lessons from Brooks, Paige or Maxwell... they're real columnists. They tell the truth and make people think. You make your dozen readers think "How did hell did this amateur get the job"