See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
Brooklyn Daily
To the editor,
In response to Alan Magill’s letter about his encounter with a cop (“Sound off to the editor,” July 26), I’d like to share my experience with the police. Let me begin by saying that I’m a middle-aged, white woman.
Some years ago, I was stopped on Eastern Parkway for a traffic violation. A young black officer approached my car and asked for my license and registration. I turned to get my purse, which was on the passenger seat. As I turned back to the officer, I was shocked to see a gun pointed at me. But what surprised me even more was the look of fear in the officer’s eyes.
Evidently, police officers are taught that any sudden action maybe a threat to them and they must protect themselves. I, too, learned the same lesson as Mr. Magill, and hope that everyone learns it.
Name withheld upon request
Al’s pals
To the editor,
The five mayoral candidates who took Al Sharpton up on his challenge to have a sleepover in pubic housing, in Harlem, are idiots. It was nothing more than a publicity stunt, and if one of them does get elected, that would be the last time they see public housing again, except for Gracie Mansion.
I would like to see Al Sharpton dare them next to jump off a bridge.Augie Pazzo
New Port Richey, Fl.
Limousine liberals
To the editor,
In April, 1981, Jane Byrne, then-mayor of Chicago, went to live in a housing project to see what it was like. She was applauded by the residents for coming. Yet, she lost the next election.
People have short memories regarding what their elected officials have and haven’t done. Several of our own mayoral candidates pandered to the politically correct by visiting the Lincoln Projects recently. The city has been derelict in its duties, but we must also blame the people in the projects for creating such conditions. I am confident that city officials did not come into the project and proceed to write on the walls of the hallways, or urinate there.
I believe that the candidates should go even further than this visit. Let them start teaching in city schools, and accompany police, fire, and sanitation workers to their jobs, in order to see what really goes on.
But they will not because most, if not all of the candidates, are limousine liberals. They’re the first to speed away — or move — when an area begins to go downhill.Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
Brighton Breach
To the editor,
When I listen to News 12 to check out the local weather, what amazes me is all I hear about is the weather in Coney Island and Manhattan Beach — not a word about Brighton Beach. Like somehow it doesn’t exist. I find that so offensive that I wonder what type of reporters they hire.
When Hurricane Sandy did its major damage in Coney Island, the city decided that new lifeguard stations and bathrooms needed to be rebuilt. So far so good. The same could be said for the new lifeguard stations near Brighton Second street. The bathrooms on the beach still stand. But what about the former bathroom that stood on Bay Second? I was told it would be more cost-effective to rebuild the structure.
What we have now is half of Bay First Street fenced off by construction materials. All I see on Bay Second are pilings and nothing more. Where is the local council person who is supposed to represent us? Jerry Sattler
Brighton Beach
DNA 101
To the editor,
I attend the My Turn program at Kingsborough Community College for seniors. In a course I am taking for the summer, our professor pointed out that there is no difference in the D.N.A. of African Americans, Asians, or any other non-white people. There is a greater difference of individual D.N.A. between two Caucasians, or two African Americans.
Racism always looks to stigmatize and stereotype various groups. And the one percent that truly runs America’s power and wealth at the disadvantage of the 99 percent use racism to separate any opposition to challenge poverty, and the inequalities in distributing services and goods.
We just have to look to prisons where the administrations use one racial prison group against the other to maintain control. In California, inmates are engaged in a hunger strike to bring attention to long-term solitary confinement, and they have reached a truce amongst the inmates to not fight each other in prison and to stop street violence among gangs, in order to work together for a real America.
Let us have a criminal justice system that reduces recidivism with rehabilitation instead of brutal punishment, and ends the torture of solitary confinement. Allan Feinblum
Midwood
Bloomy boot camp
To the editor,
Mayor Bloomberg will soon be out of office and can now follow his passion and form the “Bloomberg Boot Camp.” We could use another Jack LaLanne or Richard Simmons.
He would be the perfect replacement for Jack LaLanne, with all his healthy ideas, like bans on smoking, trans fats, sugary drinks, implementing healthy school lunches, bicycle riding, and now stair climbing. He could have a TV show or do infomercials.
I could just see him barking orders, dressed in army fatigues, with a riding crop under his armpit at Bloomberg Boot Camp.Chita Vilard
Flatbush
• • •
To the editor,
If health-and-fitness guru Mayor Bloomberg had his way, it would be illegal to take elevators for less than five floors. You would have to hoof it, the way he does in his townhouse. I could see it now. Cops issuing summonses to people sneaking on elevators for short trips.
He could also charge a small fee to tenants in city-owned buildings for using the stairs, even though the elevators are broken down. Think of the money they’re saving on the gym membership that they would have to pay to use the StairMaster.Jesse Blaze
Midwood
• • •
To the editor,
Nanny Bloomberg is at it again. Now he’s telling New Yorkers to take the stairs instead of using the elevator — something he does in his townhouse. He says by walking up his five flights of stairs, it helps to keep him in shape.
Well, Mr. Mayor, people have been doing this for years, but not by choice. There are the thousands of people who live in city-owned buildings, whose elevators are constantly broken down and not fixed, sometimes for weeks. Thanks for the workout.Peter G. Orsi
Marine Park
Joan’s tips
To the editor,
Are you running to the garage every time you need a tool? Try storing your most-used gardening tools in a mailbox out in the yard. You can attach a mailbox to your deck, or to the side of your home, or to a post in the garden, for your gardening gloves, trowel, snippers, etc.
It’ll come in mighty handy in the summertime, to have those gardening tools on hand.Joan Applepie
Mill Basin
Paid to campaign?
To the editor,
Is it ethical for elected officials to hold one office while campaigning for another?
Consider Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio, Comptroller John Liu and Council Speaker Christine Quinn running for mayor; Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer running for comptroller; and Councilwoman Letitia James (D–Fort Greene) and state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D–Brooklyn Heights) campaigning for public advocate.
Contrast all of them with former Bill Thompson, Erick Salgado, and Anthony Weiner running for mayor; Eliot Spitzer running for comptroller; and Noah Gotbaum, Cathy Guerriero, and Reshma Saujani running for public advocate. These candidates are running without the benefits of currently holding other public office.
The lines are clearly blurred between the day jobs and the new jobs DeBlasio, Liu, Quinn, Stringer, James, and Squadron seek. All six have been engaged for years, in a non-stop series of press conferences, news releases, issuance of various reports, letters to the editor, guest columns in newspapers, and publicity stunts at taxpayers’ expense.
Hard-working civil servants work full time. They can’t campaign part time during the day. They would have to either take a leave of absence or quit their day jobs.
DeBlasio, Liu, Quinn, Stringer, James, and Squadron should avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest by resigning their current offices.Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
Bloomberg’s cop-out
To the editor,
Mayor Bloomberg expounds that the murder rate has gone down in the years since he took office. But as I watch my local news station, how come all I hear is news of more shootings, and small children getting injured by gun fire?
Let’s not forget when the mayor decided to cut the pay for new police recruits, many would-be applicants turned to other city positions.
Then we lost about 5,000 police officer, with many seeking police work in Long Island, where the starting pay is higher.Jerry Sattler
Brighton Beach