Readers Find Fault With Story on Erickson’s Daughter

I read Mike Downey’s article on Dec. 29 about the death of Angelica Erickson with deep sorrow. I have personally eulogized a 25-year-old friend, whose life was taken prematurely by a drunk driver, and I certainly empathize with the pain felt by Angelica’s family and friends.

However, I soon found myself disappointed at your perspective and superficial coverage of the story. Mike, you eulogized her to more than a million readers, and then shirked your responsibility as a reporter to dig deeper into the story and provide insight to the unanswered question of why she was doing drugs at all.

Angelica did not make only “one very bad decision,” she made a life-endangering decision every time she chose to use drugs. As a result she not only fatally harmed herself but devastated the lives of so many who loved her. A whitewash of the events does not benefit anyone and only insults the memory of Angelica.

I believe you owe it to your readers to clarify why such a “vibrant, spiritual, golden girl” would even consider using drugs. If there is to be any good from this event, it will be that others who find themselves in similar circumstances, and might be tempted to make the same mistake with drugs, will decide not to gamble with their lives.

KIM J. WADE

Hermosa Beach

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I read with interest Mike Downey’s column about Keith Erickson’s daughter. I can understand Keith’s grief and I have all the compassion in the world for him. I have two daughters who were fortunate enough to find a 12-step program that saved their lives. I have been in federal court when my daughter was sentenced for embezzling funds. I have also been in a lockup ward and watched my daughter struggle with restraints for a month.

What puzzles me is this column almost extolling a person who died of a drug overdose. Somehow it seems that we condone this behavior in a celebrity, but the same behavior in anyone else is condemned. It is truly a waste when someone with all the advantages and abilities falls prey to the monster of drugs, but to establish a fund in her name seems to me a dishonor to all those who have fought and overcome this monster.

WILLIAM ASH

Santa Monica

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Now don’t get me wrong. I like Mike Downey. At least I like his writing, insights and ability to make sports readable for the non-sports person. However, his article on Angelica Erickson’s death is wide of the mark. It is not about being nocturnal. Many people are, and have led long and successful lives. It is not about making one mistake. Sliding gently over the fact that she was a drug addict is an injustice to her death, and to the potential for other parents of children who opt for the drug route.

I had a friend who, when he learned that his daughter was involved in drugs, kidnapped her from the home of her supplier and, through a lot of hard work, turned her around. She has since gone on to graduate from college and has a promising life ahead of her. I’m not saying that Angelica’s parents could have saved their daughter or that they did anything wrong. We only know what you wrote and we do not know the agony they faced and are now facing.

Mr. Erickson, this is about the opportunity to use your influence and visibility to help see that this does not happen to other families. Yes, she made a mistake. A horrible mistake. She was not an angel. She was human. And her human legacy in death could be much more than the joys of her life. Make it so.

PATRICIA HURLEY

Altadena