As pointed out by alert reader James McRae (“Don’t barricade county buildings,” Our Readers’ Views, April 11), the county council is considering erecting a fence around the Clark County Courthouse. This is a terrible idea for many reasons and would be a huge waste of money.
The courthouse already has adequate internal security. Every visitor, litigant, witness, judge, or attorney must pass thorough metal-detecting security. There are no exceptions (except possibly for people with pacemakers). There is thus no basis for a security fence.
Whence the idea for the fence? To deter picnickers from lounging on the lawn? To scare away errant pigeons or gulls? Or is it to scare away the unhoused?
The public should never feel that it does not have access to the building which is a formal symbol of our aspirations for equal justice for all. The council should not vote any funds for this project.
