Recently, I have been reading all of the articles in The Diamondback about the increased police presence in College Park in response to the numerous armed robberies that have been occurring.

Yet on Friday, sometime after 2 a.m., I was leaving a party where I had been drinking. I was standing at a bus stop and had just thrown my red cup into a trash can when a cop decided her biggest priority was to bust a 20-year-old for drinking. She stopped and proceeded to give me a citation. Today, I read in my crime alert about a student being robbed at gunpoint very close to where I had been busted. If the cop had continued on her way rather than making a stop without any clear indication of a crime, she may have had an opportunity to prevent a far more serious crime that is supposed to be the focus of the increased presence. With the current climate in College Park, should police be vigilantly patrolling for dangerous criminals or writing citations based on circumstance with no real damage to society?

John Stephens

Junior

Computer Science and GIS Geography

Over the past four months, my wife Sylvia and I visited the homes of nearly 10,000 Marylanders, talking with neighbors about their hopes and dreams and their ideas for moving our community and state in a new direction.

I am proud of what our friends, neighbors and supporters were able to accomplish together. Our campaign for the District 21 Democratic Primary refused to be negative. Together, we focused on the issues and worked hard to find real solutions. We helped drive the debate and stimulate a conversation about the challenges facing each of our families in education, health care, equitable taxation for seniors and transportation.

Every day I was inspired, motivated and encouraged by the amazing people I met on the campaign trail. Sylvia and I are deeply grateful for the encouragement we received throughout the district.

We could not have made this journey without you, and we cannot thank you enough for your support and encouragement.

But our hard work does not end here. The primary was just the beginning. Over these next few critical weeks, I will be working hard in our district to make sure that all Democrats are elected to their respected offices. Please make Nov. 7 the largest turnout ever for voting in the 21st District.

Mark Cook

Former Democratic primary candidate for District 21 state delegate