Fair Futures for youth in care

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New Paltz, N.Y.: Re “Fewer kids in foster care” (Feb. 13): As someone who experienced life in the foster care system in New York City firsthand — I’m now a senior at SUNY New Paltz — I’m encouraged to hear that there are fewer kids and teens in care than ever before. However, just because there are fewer of us, that doesn’t mean we can ignore the challenges youth in care face every single day. In fact, those of us still in care need even more help.

As Administration for Children’s Services Commissioner David Hansell said, New York can keep moving in the right direction by improving outcomes for children in foster care. I couldn’t agree more, especially for those of us who age out of the system. We’re expected to become adults overnight but that can’t happen without the proper support and guidance.

Thankfully, the city has begun implementing a program proven to dramatically improve outcomes and increase high school completion. Fair Futures pairs young people like me with coaches who help us navigate all of life’s challenges from middle school through age 26. The city should fully fund Fair Futures so all young people in care can benefit from this lifechanging program. New York City should be focused on investing in our futures, not in our failures. Ensuring that every youth in care has a coach to rely on will help make that a reality. Fair Futures is a privilege and one that I will never stop fighting for. Ericka Francois

Out of step

Manhattan: Whilst I usually crack up over Bramhall’s cartoons, I must say that the Weinstein walker one struck me as being in pretty poor taste (Feb. 25). Yes, I get it. But it was unnecessarily and gratuitously crude. Disappointed that the Daily News chose to print it.

Ameen Keshavjee

President Frigidaire

Carmel, N.Y.: If you are a Democrat and your refrigerator is running, you may want to vote for it. Michael Gaarder

Heigh ho!

Plainview, L.I.: The debate Wednesday night reminded me of the seven dwarfs. Mike Bloomberg is Doc, the leader of the group, not too good at speaking. Bernie Sanders is Grumpy, always annoyed and irritated. Pete Buttigieg is Happy, friendly and spreading joy to everyone. Joe Biden is Sleepy, always tired. Elizabeth Warren is Dopey, annoying and silly. Amy Klobuchar is Bashful, the shy one. Tom Steyer is Sneezy, likes to have fun. Frank Mauceri

Opposition

West Islip, L.I.: Could not believe it. See the dissent written by Sonia Sotomayor about the court siding with

the Trump administration too often. She is a Supreme Court justice and her opinion does not reflect the opinion of the majority living in this country. This dissent’s omission from most newspapers was biased. If this dissent had been written by Brett Kavanaugh, it would have been front-page news. John Roberts should try to keep an associate justice on the Supreme Court from discussing anything the court has ruled on.

Carmel Harrigan

Viral menace

Staten Island: We are now facing a new virus resulting in a pandemic that could affect the entire planet. One that could make the HIV/AIDS pandemic look like child’s play. One that could rival even the Black Plague. Every nation on Earth is beginning to suffer dramatically because of this. Yet no one listened to me when I warned people for the last three years that Donald Trump will be the next scourge on humanity.

Dennis Pascale

Special exhibit

Brooklyn: What did happen to the torn-up State of the Union speech? I don’t think Nancy Pelosi took it home. Will it eventually be a part of history and placed in the Smithsonian? Marie Walsh

Anachronistic

Forked River, N.J.: When I first read Voicer Sandy Brown-Elders’s letter about rodeos I thought it was a letter from the 19th century. Is Brown-Elders saying she doesn’t believe animals have rights and that they are just “things” that can be abused for sport? I wonder if the calves who are clearly terrified as they are chased and slammed to the ground know that it’s their “job” to leave a dark crate and get treated brutally in front of bright lights and a screaming crowd? We’ve had other “traditions” like slavery and orphan children workhouses, but eventually our humanity caught up to us and we moved on from those cruel ways. We are in the second decade of the 21st century. I think we should move on from this cruel and senseless tradition too.

Dietitian

Jim Hughes

Astoria: Hey, China: Stop eating monkey brains, tiger paws and pangolin rectums. You might catch something. I hope that the Year of the Rat is not a culinary designation.

Have some of our “Little Debbie” snacks, they’ll kill you more gradually.

Richard Melnick

Bystanders no more

Elizabeth, N.J.: It broke my heart to read about the 9year-old boy with dwarfism who is being bullied at school (“Support for bullied boy in vid,” Feb. 22). When are we, as a society, going to wake up and stop this? When are the parents of these bullies going to educate their kids on how wrong this is? When are politicians and athletes going to do all they can to stop this? When actors accept their awards and make political statements, why don’t they talk about bullying for a change? It’s tragic when a 9-year-old talks about killing himself. Stay strong, Quaden. You are stronger then the bullies. Bullies are punks. I wonder if they would want their own children to be treated this way. I’m guessing they would not.

Frontpage trial

Pat Foster

Bronx: To Voicer Judy Thorpe: First, Tess Majors’s alleged killers are kids. You only have excuses when it involves white people, i.e.

JESSE WARD FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS “victims of heroin.” This is a sad situation, especially with the Daily News showing these kids’ faces on the front page before being found guilty of anything. Nice to see The News show its racist side.

Kenneth Joe

Loose ends

Glendale; For years at civic meetings, I’ve been telling my assemblyman and the senator from the adjacent district (my senator, Mike Gianaris, does not even acknowledge invitations to civic meetings) that the state policy of allowing corrections officers to come into contact with prisoners of the opposite sex is a recipe for disaster that costs us taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and should be changed. Yet nothing gets done. A group of five female inmates filed a lawsuit claiming they were sexually abused by male corrections officers (“New York state prison guards sexually assaulted female inmates, says lawsuit,” Feb. 14). Even if these lawsuits are frivolous, the state may offer a settlement paid for by us taxpayers. When will common-sense legislation be passed to prevent these situations?

Thomas Murawski