Unnecessary late-night scares

Brooklyn: My family resides on Knapp Street and Avenue V in Brooklyn. I wanted to express my outrage to an incident that took place at approximately 3 a.m. Thursday morning. With all the recent bombings and craziness that has been developing in New York City, I cannot believe that the City was stupid enough to send out a vehicle with loud speakers making announcements that were unintelligible last night at around 3 a.m. It frightened my family and we called 311 only to be told that they had no information.

The 311 operator connected me to the 61st Precinct on Coney Island Ave. We spoke to a police officer and he also had no information on what was happening. So I called 911 and the operator told me they were making announcements about mosquito spraying. This is absolutely rediculous.

My concerns: How do you scare people like that at that hour in the morning? How is it possible 311 has no information? How come our local precinct had no idea what’s going on? This is real comforting especially in the world we are living in. We get numerous daily NY Alerts about nonsense and then we get nothing about this.

I’m a Hurricane Sandy survivor and when my family hears announcements at night with no information from any local or state offices or officials I find this to be a truly unacceptable situation. The 911 operator told me they started later than expected with the spraying. I really don't care. I care for the safety of my family and this was not necessary. Bill Rosenblum

Reach home safely

Brooklyn: Wednesday night, a young man saw me struggling up the subway steps, at Utica Avenue, with an impromptu purchase. He said, “Ma, do you want help?” I was grateful as he took my box up the steps and half a block to the bus. He was tall, and lanky: irresistible smile, hair unkempt in that stylish black boy way, and somewhere in America, a black mother cannot breathe because it is after 10p.m. and her son is not home... yet. I told him, “Thank you, Son, I am happy that I am one of your good deeds for the day.” He smiled; it’s a smile that must make his mother's heart dance. I said: “Thanks. Reach home safely, son.” What I meant was, “Nice black boy ... if ‘they’ stop you — put your hands up, no down, put them on your head, walk fast, no slow — look I don't know what to tell you except, “Thanks. Reach home safely, Son.” Amen. Nandi B. Keyi Jacob

Inequitable justice

Manhattan: What kind of country are we living in where a terrorist is taken alive after a shootout with police, yet black men are being killed by police in the absence of violence or guns? And then white people wonder why some black people don’t stand for the flag. White people are quick to judge but never as quick to understand.

Sterling Waters

A standup guy

Newark, Calif.: I believe what Colin Kaepernick did needed to be done . Very proud of Colin for standing up for so many people . Stand up for what you belive or sit down and show what you believe in. Good for him. Sandy Wilson

The race question

Brooklyn: It happens that black cops also kill blacks. Does this mean that there is racism throughout all the USA police departments as Clinton and Obama suggest? What is the President doing to stop race riots which are destroying lives and properties of innocent people? Have the l960’s returned? Who is paying the ousiders who come to these riots to cause more trouble? Did white and black voters make a big mistake by voting for Obama? Why have racial affairs gotten worse? Wasn’t Obama a great community organizer? Why is he allowing 10,000 refugees into our country in October while innercity young blacks are jobless? And do we really want Mrs. Clinton to continue the policies of this administration as she said she would? Charity begins at home!

Christopher Amato

Murder by number

Bronx: In 2015, the police killed 102 unarmed black people. This represented 37% of unarmed killings even though African Americans are only 13% of the population. Unarmed black people were killed at 5x the rate of white killings. Only 10 of the 102 cases where a black person was killed resulted in criminal charges brought the officers with two convictions. It appears that this intolerable trend continues in 2016. This is not an idictment against all police, who 99% of the time do a remarkable job; however we can not close our eyes to the few bad policemen who must be rooted out and prosecuted for criminal behavior.

Gilbert M. Lane

Too-early voting

Brooklyn: How can we have early voting in the presidential election when we haven’t had the debates yet? Early voting should start after all the debates have aired including the vice presidential debate. At least, give the one-issue voter a chance to hear the candidates express their views on a variety of topics. Ed Greenspan

Trumping taxes

Rego Park: They should make it a mandatory requirement that candidates declare their taxes or not be able to run. It is very obvious that Donald Trump is hiding the fact that he does not pay any taxes or very little at all or he is richer than he says or poorer and does not want people to know., The excuse he gives that he is in the middle of an audit is just an excuse, and IRS regulations say you can declare it during an audit. He is wrong in so many areas for this country, can’t control his stupid mouth with his endless stupid statements and making fun of handicapped people. Enough is enough, they should force him to declare it now or make him drop out. Steven Weber

Protect Hillary

Clearwater, Fla.: What people will say sometimes, is not as important as what they don’t say or imply. In essence, Donald Trump may be suggesting a dreadful fate awaits Hillary Clinton, should her bodyguards disarm. Since losing is not in Trump’s vocabulary, the safety and welfare of Clinton could be in jeopardy should she win. And I shudder to think of what Trump could and perhaps would do, if he loses the election.

JoAnn Lee Frank

That hurts our feelings

Brooklyn: I guess I’ll never be a a journalist for the Daily News, for the simple reason, I have more then a 5th-grade education. Where do you get these people from? Horrible. Patrick Doyle

Working on the chain gang

Waretown, N.J.: Shaun King’s article was not something new to me (“How the 13th Amendment didn’t really abolish slavery, Sept. 22). I have always know that the prison system is a form of “free labor.” I worked with a state agency for 25 years and the furniture we used in the office was made by inmates. Even when the furniture was delivered, it was by certain individuals that required a guard nearb at all times. They were told not to speak or even look at us. They were not dangerous individuals because they were trusted enough to be let out and deliver the furniture. As a matter of fact 75% of the items in the agency, were made from prison labor. It bothered me for awhile but after thinking about how the individuals got there, it bothered me no more. America is not the only country that utilizes prisoners for free labor. After all if one is incarcerated, they cannot just sit around and do nothing. How did the individuals end up in the system? Were they just sitting in the park and got arrested? Most are in the system for petty crimes. The town I live in is 90% white; I am a African/American/Jamaican. All of the individuals stopped by police are white; all the individuals arrested for drugs and guns are white, so I do believe where you resides determine who will be incarcerated because in this town, they don’t play around with the criminals. Free labor applies to all races that are imprisoned. How do we end prison labor? We can’t, as long as this system of governing/government exists, nothing will change. Marva Hall

Comply or die

Marc A. Hermann Manhattan: In answering my letter, Voicer Gloria Smith should read her own before submitting it. Her statement that the cops “decided to harass Eric Garner” is sheer vilification of the police and really helps to make my point. Whether committing a crime or not, Garner resisted arrest and contributed to his own death . Had he complied with the police, he would be alive today. With all that is going on in the world today, we need to be behind our law officers 110%. My question is why the officers are not back on regular duty, after there has been no indictment. then, there wouldn't be this outcry of overtime pay to begin with. Jack Weiss