When did it become illegal to walk on public streets?
JAMES LEE HUGGHINS Jacksonville

I am writing this letter to let the people of Alto know that within the last few weeks two police officers have stopped my 70 year old mother in Alto not once but twice.

On March 23 officer James Green stopped my mother and informed her that she wasn't allowed to leave her home and be on the streets walking or driving and all she was doing was taking care of her own business at that time.

Mr. Green harassed my mother with this and upset her to the point that she had to call me and was crying.

On March 26 police chief Charles Barron, whom I've been knowing all my life, stopped my mother as she was walking home, and he accused her of starting trouble on another street that she hadn't even been to.

He was unpolite with my mother and told her that he was giving her fair warning to stay off the street. On March 28 police chief Barron called my mother into the police office accusing her of the same thing - that she had been starting trouble on a public street just because someone called and reported her to the police.

Chief Barron is taking her word over my mother's. My mother is a heart patient and no one deserves this kind of treatment from anyone, including a police officer.

Officers are supposed to protect and serve the citizens of the town or city they work in not act the way these two officers have.

If you guys love your moth- ers as much as I love mine, then you would understand what I'm saying.

Alto used to be a really good place to live till a few months ago when city hall fell into the wrong hands.

I left Alto a little over a year ago because of the way the police department is being run.

I pray that the man that is supposed to be taking over the mayor's office in May will look into these things and get things changed because it's sad when our older people can't even go to their friends' or their children's homes without being followed, harassed, and treated like the way my mother has been treated.

I wonder, is that the reason that everybody that used to work at Alto City Hall quit? Maybe the police department needs to be visited by the big guys that's been to Jacksonville and Rusk doing checking on the officers running the department.