I was startled and annoyed when I read John Castronover’s Sept. 8 letter to the editor regarding the meeting at Woodmont Elementary School on Aug. 18 about the planned Woodmont Recovery Center.

The statement that the citizens of Des Moines “are faced with the biggest battle that they have ever seen” seemed particularly hysterical since I actually sat through that entire meeting.

I also read Raechel Dawson’s Aug. 20 report in the Mirror. It seemed like good journalism, cogent and even-handed.

I don’t know if the gentleman was there; he doesn’t say. I heard much shouting and bad behavior from the audience and patient responses from the representatives of Valley Cities, who ended the meeting pleading for citizens to join a panel to consider the issues.

It seemed to only inflame the audience to have it pointed out that the addicts and mentally ill are already their neighbors and forcing them to continue to travel to Seattle for treatment only does more harm.

Dorothy Burt, Federal Way near Woodmont