Pretrial reform needs protecting

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Manhattan: Mike Colon spent three years on Rikers Island for a crime he was acquitted of and maintains he never committed. He lost his job, apartment, personal belongings, credit cards — and nearly 1,000 days of freedom. Thankfully, the New York State Legislature recently passed, and the governor signed, historic pretrial reforms. The reforms must be implemented by Jan. 1, 2020 and will move the state towards a system that prioritizes pretrial freedom, significantly reduces the number of people held in jail pretrial, and brings many people home to await their day in court with their families and support from their community.

However, even if the laws passed in 2019 were implemented today, Colon would have spent time in jail. That is unjust and we have more work ahead, as do I as senior associate for criminal justice reform for the non-profit group FWD.us.

Yet the law enforcement community is using its influence to scare legislators. The claim that pretrial reform will endanger the safety of New Yorkers is belied by evidence that jail stays only make it more likely that people will wind up back behind bars. Claims like this also completely ignore the fact that jails across New York are profoundly unsafe.

The disingenuous, fearmongering rhetoric from the law enforcement community is a distraction from the ongoing issues. People charged with more serious crimes should not be held behind bars pretrial. They are still legally innocent people.

Lawmakers should be focused on how to ensure that legally innocent people do not lose their homes and livelihoods because they were forced to await trial behind bars for days, months, or even years. Rodney Holcombe

Complacency

Linden, N.J.: Tuesday, Oct. 5 marked the 50th anniversary of the suicides of teenagers Craig Badiali and Joan Fox in Blackwood, N.J.. They committed suicide to protest the Vietnam War. Imagine anyone feeling deeply enough about war to commit suicide over it! Almost no one even protests our wars anymore. There’s no Freda Payne on the radio singing “Bring the Boys Home.” Almost everyone is cool with the idea of the war going on indefinitely, perhaps permanently. Sen. George McGovern said, “I’m fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in,” but almost no one else is so fed up. We’re resigned to a steady, small number of deaths if they reassure us that “terrorism is being fought.” Hopefully someday the world’s youth will realize that they’re being played for suckers.

Big error

Ron Jackowski Brooklyn: What our governor said concerning Italian people

is totally uncalled for. By using the n-word with Italians, he disrespects them to the core. Had our governor done this to the Chinese, Jewish or black communities, they would be calling for his resignation. I, along with so many others, was never a big fan of his. This remark makes me want to vomit. He makes himself look like the fool that he is. Joseph V. Comperchio

P.C. police

Norwalk, Conn: There isn’t much left to read in the Daily News. The only things left are the comics and the crossword puzzles. But Monday brought the end to my Daily News days. Crossword II, on Columbus Day, the answer to the query “Group at family gatherings” is “mafia”! What genius submitted this? And what genius accepted it? Bye, bye. Anthony Tosti

Penny pinchers

Manhattan: To Voicer William Bosworth: As a lifelong Mets fan, I agree with you 110%, but will go a step further. Not to denigrate the guys who play their hearts out for us, but as long as the tightwad Wilpons own the Mets, we’ll never get anyone but young kids starting out or players towards the end of their careers because they can get both on the cheap. To all you well-heeled celebrity Mets fans out there, please form a corporation, buy the team and run it how it should be run! Lynne Henderson

Let me Google that

Manhattan: I challenge each and every American voter to google the video of Trump’s comments re Peter Strzok and Lisa Page taken at his Oct. 10 Minneapolis rally. Is this man fit to be president? The world is watching. And so are our children.

Anne Stockton

Oh so sweet

Milford, Pa.: Well, well, Rudy Giuliani is now being investigated by the office he once ran. The irony is delicious. It just proves the old adage, the people you meet on the way up, you meet again on the way down. Et tu, Brute!

Robert K. Greco

Impeachment with benefits

Branford, Conn.: This letter is for all the mostly Democrats so focused on impeachment — Pelosi, AOC, et al.: Let the people decide about impeachment. Most people don’t care about what may or may not have happened in Ukraine. They care more about the thousands of dollars they spend on health care almost every month. Pelosi and AOC may forget about health care as they all have life-long deluxe health plans included as perks of their jobs…if you can call what they do a job.

Lost voice Click bait

Jonathan Mix

Little Egg Harbor, N.J.: Kudos once again for not having the courage to print my Sept. 21 letter re that stupid climate change parade. It was too direct, too incisive and too devoid of political correctness. And, of course, we can’t offend that clueless Swedish student who acted like she’s off her meds or the other clueless students who took off from school to “change the world.” Yeah, right.

James D’Amico

Manhattan: Talk about lame. In the article titled “Photo of exhausted nurse goes viral with praise for healers” (Oct. 15), the Daily News doesn’t show the photo in question

/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO but some stock photo of a doctor holding a digital device. Why bother to do the article? David Fantaci

Dirty pols

White Rock, British Columbia: Re “Run, Chelsea, run!” (Oct. 11): Whatever Chelsea Clinton’s ethical values and charitable leanings may be, one apt way of bringing them down is to be elected to lead a large populace. I’ve found that the further up the scale of political office one holds (i.e. local, state or federally), the more varied the values and interests one represents — thus the greater degree of compromise. One need only look to consistent political history for a plethora of disappointing examples.

Frank Sterle Jr.

Made in China

Brooklyn: I have no idea why anyone gives LeBron James a soapbox. For a year he’s bashed the president, going as far as tweeting that Trump’s a “bum.” Now you can see the hypocrisy. No problem attacking an American president but he won’t stand up to the communist one in China. He’s another sell-out. Patrick Doyle