The East Village needs action to be made safe
Manhattan: Re “Ungodly act in the E. Village” (Jan. 23): My family has known John Mach for years. He is a living guardian angel of his parish. Certainly, angels were watching over him. The area around Church of the Immaculate Conception on 14th St. has been a crime zone for many years. At its height, the homeless encampments and unlicensed vendors selling shoplifted goods made news with headlines like “Drug-fueled peddlers in East Village create block-long flea market selling junk.” Schoolchildren, parents and teachers were routinely subjected to open-air contraband markets, drug overdoses, street brawls and storefront vandalism.
Councilwoman Carlina Rivera was approached and a community meeting was held. She glad-handed the crowd and made promises, assuring everyone that this is her neighborhood too and she empathizes. Her offices are local, but many believe her residence is actually in ritzy Gramercy Park, not the East Village. Mayor Adams did a walkthrough of the neighborhood. Things have not been as bad since, but they are deteriorating. My wife’s friend had her face slammed into the concrete, leaving her with a jaw broken in three places during a robbery in broad daylight. There was also a murder in front of her friend’s building on Avenue A and 13th St. Fights are breaking out at the nearby St. Brigid’s migrant center.
Mach, as you reported, is back at his post. He’s lucky he didn’t catch up with the man who slashed his throat because in this political climate, Mach would be the one in jail, not the culprit. Gilbert Colon
Due discipline
Manhattan: As a former substitute teacher in the NYC school system, I applaud Chancellor David Banks’ recognition that accountability and consequences are missing in our schools (” ‘Consequences’ for kids,” Jan. 23). It is remarkable that it took so long to acknowledge the inherent cost to the majority of students and teachers. Discipline, detention and demerits should be reinstated in all schools. The loss of so many qualified and dedicated teachers due to the lack thereof is a stain on our NYC schools.
Edward Nyitray
Chilling effect
Hamden, Conn.: I guess that all NYPD officers learned a lesson (“Cooler-toss cop hit with slay charge,” Jan. 24). Why do any enforcement of street drug sales at all? While Sgt. Erik Duran did an unconventional thing to stop this drug dealer posing as a delivery man, he was way overcharged. NYPD officers should answer calls for service only, no street enforcement at all. Criminals deserve no public accolades or support. Chris Lyons
A song and dance
Henderson, Nev.: The cry has gone up once again from the Adams administration that there must be cuts to essential services like police, education, libraries and more. Every year, we see the city patting itself on its back for restoring some of these reductions. This is the playbook. Each year, unfortunately, these theatrics are staged so the city, mayor and City Council can look like heroes. Every year, they lowball expected revenues and overestimate planned spending. The gap is then miraculously transformed into a significant surplus. As a homeowner and resident of NYC for more than 68 years, that is what I saw and came to expect. It is time we have a city administration that provides an updated budget process that is democratic and responsive to its citizens, where honest projections of future revenues and spending are indicated minus the theatrics.
Beverly Zimmerman
Dis-incentivized
Huntington, L.I.: The proposed changes to the Child Tax Credit turn it into a welfare program. The proposal eliminates the work requirement. This will hurt the very children it is intended to help. Children raised in a home in which the parents work are more likely to prosper. The Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act of 1996 eliminated the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. As the name implies, the newly created program included work requirements. Do we want a return to the bad old days of the failed welfare state? Tom Saracco
Bounced
Brooklyn: An old problem just resurfaced with my bank, Capital One. I made a deposit in the morning. Later that day, a debit came in. My online statement had it in the correct order, but as the bank manager put it, we always rearrange the order of debits and credits at the end of the day. Debit first, then the credits. Even though my online statement had it in the correct order and showed a sufficient balance, they refused to make my payment, then charged me an overdraft fee. This should be illegal. I thought it already was. I will be closing this account at the end of the month.
Greg Ahl
Others suffered
Brooklyn: Is it too much to ask that when featuring stories concerning the Holocaust, the emphasis is not only on Jewish victims, but all victims? The Holocaust is not trademarked, copyrighted or registered as a Jewish business. Len Silver
Waning support
Farmingdale, L.I: Why does the Daily News print so many anti-Israel letters in Voice of the People? On Wednesday, we had a Voicer who calls Golda Meir a terrorist. Meir was a hero. She helped fight for her country. People forget that Israel was invaded. They have the right to defend themselves. I wish The News would print more letters reflecting the other side.
Steven Edlin
Guardrails lost
Lindenhurst, L.I.: I respectfully disagree with Voicer Charles Michael Sitero about why we have seen a transition from real news to propaganda. As a journalism student in the 1970s, it was instilled in us that every story had to report both sides of an issue, or at the very least, a comment from someone on an opposing side. Did we ever know Walter Cronkite or Harry Reasoner’s political views? The Fairness Doctrine was instituted in 1949 to ensure that news broadcasting stations’ coverage of controversial topics was fair and balanced. Some would say the government should not have intervened, but the policy ended in 1987. Soon after, Fox News and CNN proliferated. Our citizens lack the skills to make informed decisions. That is where our breakdown is, not in the “liberal universities.” Educators must continue to teach our students how to evaluate whether a news site is credible and to look beyond a headline.
Paula Magdalena Vidal
Limited coverage
Tarrytown, N.Y.: As a Daily News reader for 40-plus years, the sports section is now completely abysmal. On Tuesday, you had stories about the Chiefs, the Eagles, the 49ers and the Cowboys. Yes, I understand, the NFL playoffs were just completed. You then had in-depth articles about Deebo Samuel, a San Francisco player, and then another article on the Hall of Fame inductees Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer and Todd Helton — no local guys. Your entire sports section is littered with information that can be obtained on a national news platform. The New York Rangers and the New York Knicks are both making a significant push in their respected leagues for the playoffs. Remember them, they both play in New York!
Stephen Talenti
Led astray
Bay Shore, L.I.: New Hampshire primary voter: “I went on Facebook this A.M. to decide who to vote for!” This from an MSNBC interview. This country is in trouble! John T. O’Connell
That’s it
Brooklyn: Voicer Anthony Johnson wrote that the underlying factors of why Donald Trump gets support is racism and white supremacy, as nothing else makes sense. Bingo! Dennis Burge
Good for all
Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.: To Voicer Kris Tapper: Perhaps if your neighbor is cold, it would be kind to make sure they have a jacket to wear. Lend them yours if you don’t need it. Most children suffering from asthma are poor, living in communities already subject to higher emissions than even middle-class ones. Their families can’t afford to replace their stoves. Gas stoves are not suddenly causing harm — the harm has just been quantified. If you must view reducing gas use, as provisions of the NY HEAT Act Gov. Hochul has just included in her executive budget would do, in purely self-interested terms, you should look forward to lower energy and public health costs, as emergency hospital visits for asthma and other respiratory ailments are reduced.
Norman J. Sissman