Dear Reed

My message is to the mayor of

Trenton. I would wish that the murder rate would go down. As quickly as the statue of Columbus went down. Maybe you should think about your priorities.

— A reader

We’ve been pretty critical of Gusciora in the Trentonian, as we have been with every mayor. But this one I’ll defend him, even if I feel dirty for sticking up for Reed.

Every mayor has a lot of problems to attempt to address. Crime is one of the big ones and a decent mayor needs to try to address as many as possible, not just ignore some problems because the biggest ones are not solved yet.

The fix for the Columbus statue took a few hours of some city workers’ time. The current residents of the city support removing it and renaming the park, so there is an easy fix to that problem.

Reducing crime is a long-term problem that requires long-term solutions that include addressing other city issues like education and economic opportunities, as well as effective policing.

— Ed Note

Got something you want to get off your chest? To contribute to Back Talk, call Ed at 609-3580861 or email him at EdNote@Trentonian.com.