Re Letter to the Editor, “Democrats and racism,” Free Press Oct. 25-27 edition:

In his letter to the Free Press, James Quash, former Portsmouth GOP chairman, labels the Democratic Party as racist with his erroneous arguments while trolling for votes for Republicans.  

Mr. Quash states that Gov. Ralph S. Northam vetoed a bill prohibiting sanctuary cities, though Virginia has none. If a black citizen and an illegal immigrant separately were stopped for traffic violations and both had outstanding warrants for their arrests for identical crimes, the illegal immigrant by law can be held for up to 48 hours longer for ICE pickup. In a sanctuary city, they would both be released at the same time.

Mr. Quash, who is clearly anti-choice on abortion, accuses Democrats of genocide for supporting Planned Parenthood services. 

Planned Parenthood provides numerous services, including abortions, which account for about 3 percent of services. For many patients, Planned Parenthood is their only option for free or affordable health care. 

President Trump and the Republican Party want to defund Planned Parenthood, thus depriving access to health care for large numbers of women. To me, that is genocidal.

Finally, Mr. Quash’s statement that the Democratic Party founded the Ku Klux Klan is false. While the Democratic Party of the 19th century would not oppose slavery and after the Civil War opposed civil rights, the Democratic Party reversed course in the 20th century and became the party of civil rights and reform. The Republican Party of today has embraced racist policies like gerrymandered districts and extreme voter suppression. The only logical choice is to vote Democratic.

CAROL BUCKINGHAM

Richmond