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Parent behaved
disgracefully
I am reading the article in last week’s edition about the children at Anne Frank Elementary School being struck by a car. My husband is a police officer in the 7th district and he came home from work the other day and told me a story that infuriated me.
He was enforcing the "no stopping during school hour" law and attempted to move along one of the ignorant parents who was dropping their child off at school in the no-stopping zone.
This parent who was asked to move along gave my husband, who was in full uniform in a marked police unit, the middle finger. What a disgrace you are, and what are you teaching your child?
You know who you are, and you should be ashamed of yourself. If this parent’s child was hit by a car, she would be the first to complain about the police not enforcing the parking during school hours.
How about a little respect for our men and women in blue who are doing their jobs and trying to protect us and our children?
Stacey Vincent
Torresdale
Safe driving tips
to ponder
The age for teenagers to get a learner’s permit should be at least 18. Teens are more responsible at that age.
Also, senior citizens at age 62 should take another driver’s test. At that age, they are not as alert as they used to be. Even if they have had no accidents, this would be a good idea. Some seniors may not agree, but this is my opinion.
Valeria Myers
Oxford Circle
No respect for America?
Go home!
I hear so much about immigrants to America being grateful to be here, so willing to work and just wanting to be accepted. I wish that were true of all immigrants. The behavior of late-night patrons at the Mediterranean 2000 restaurant on Bustleton Avenue sadly indicates we have a new type of inconsiderate immigrant coming into this country.
In recent years this restaurant, next to a residential community, has become a hangout for new arrivals from Brazil and other points south. Judging from their shiny new cars, these people have good jobs. They ought to know how to behave.
I have seen late-night drunken bottle-throwing fights, public urination in front of women, the riding of motorcyles on sidewalks, and loitering around illegally parked cars that are blasting music up to 2 a.m. These are not teenagers, these are adult men and women.
Americans have our bad ones, too, and yes, these crimes are small compared to the city’s epidemic of murder. Yet in 27 years, I have never seen my neighborhood subjected to such piggish and disrespectful behavior. It is very hard for police to deal with people who are unpredictable, transient and hard to identify. But why is it even necessary to call the police?
I ask these immigrants, don’t you care what Americans think of you? Why do we have to pick up your bottles and beer cans? Can’t you understand that you’re disturbing of people at all hours of the night has created contempt for you and your countrymen? If I were an immigrant, I’d be a model of good behavior, not thug behavior. I’d proudly want to fit in with Americans.
I used to be a guy who wanted to give immigrants a helping hand. Now I just want those who won’t respect America, to go home.
Richard Iaconelli
Rhawnhurst
Notes of discontent
can be effective
I have for the past year had a note on my door asking that no menus be left at my door. Most of my neighbors asked me to copy the note and have kept them taped on their storm doors; now I see the menu situation is not as it was a year ago.
Now, though, we find them in the street, and when left on driveways or thrown on the fronts of homes, this makes for a dirty-looking street and leaves a thief to think nobody is home.
Most of the advertisers are not in the immediate area, which makes no sense. When is this to stop? Help us, please!
P.S., I have plenty of copies of the note if more neighbors need one.
Leigh Rheuban
Crestmont Hills
Thank you from
Jenna & family
We would like to thank the Normandy Civic Association, the Normandy community and all the friends and family who thought of us. We really appreciated all your thoughts and prayers for Jenna.
Jenna finished her treatments and is doing better. Thank you, friends, neighbors and family for helping her. Jenna sends love to all of you.
The Vaughn family: John, Eileen, Taylor, Jenna and Nicole
Blame Fox Chase
for the delay
To Mr. Coughlin (A tree for a life is a fair trade, Jan. 17 letters), I am truly sorry for your loss, but I wish you read my letter more attentively.
My main point was that we do not need to choose between saving the park and saving lives of cancer patients, because we can have both!
Unfortunately, by refusing to consider any other option except the one that involves park destruction, the Fox Chase Cancer Center gets itself into a long fight with the community, thus delaying developments of the lifesaving treatments.
Natalie Minkovsky
Bustleton
Welcome, commissioner . . .
here are a few ideas
To Police Commissioner Ramsey:
As a former police officer who spent more than 33 years on the force, I’d like to welcome you to Philadelphia. I realize that you have a tough job ahead of you but I am confident in your abilities to turn this city around.
I have a few concerns regarding the conditions of the police districts in our city. I’ve expressed this concern many times, but so far there has been nothing done to improve the situation.
Commissioner, our elite units, S.W.A.T. and our highway patrol units work out of a factory that should have been condemned 30 years ago. The men and women who work there have to park their cars on the street and hope that they are not stolen or broken into when they return.
We have a climate of crime and the citizens of Philadelphia are hoping for better weather soon. I think a start would be to put more marked units on the streets of Philadelphia. Even if the supervisors were to drive from their home to work in a marked vehicle it would deter crime. Back in the late 1970s, the district captains received their unmarked police vehicles. The late Mayor Rizzo referred to these as "Wildwood Specials."
I know that you wear your uniform and also drive in a marked vehicle. The 125-plus unmarked vehicles that your supervisors drive to and from work in are not a deterrent for cutting crime. A marked vehicle deters crimes and saves lives. Anyone who says different is misinformed.
Some of the supervisors in the Philadelphia Police Department have a "stockbroker mentality." They put their sports coats over their uniform shirt, put their sunglasses on and drive their unmarked vehicles home. Like The Invisible Man, we have Invisible Supervisors. If the taxpayers are paying for these vehicles, they should at least be marked.
In the past, when I was working on the force, I had complained about the safety of my fellow officers. They were being transported in the back of police wagons without seatbelts, in an unsafe manner. For many years, my complaints fell on deaf ears until Commissioner John Timoney finally changed the manner in which they were transported. He ordered 17 window vans for the different districts in the city in order to transport these officers in a safe manner.
Now, Commissioner Ramsey, you have an opportunity to bring in some fresh ideas on crime prevention and to bring the Philadelphia Police Department into the 21st century. I’d welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss these issues and to explore other ideas that would better the Police Department and the city that it serves.
Joseph McAllister
Torresdale
More officers equals more
ammunition in the war on crime
Pennsylvania House Bill 1189 is the right legislation for right now!
Why? Let’s look at the numbers. New York City recently hired 1,800 brave men and women to its police department.
New York City has a population of 8.5 million people. New York also has over 36,000 police officers patrolling the streets.
New York had a murder rate of 500 in 2007. Philadelphia has about 1.5 million citizens. Philadelphia has about 6,000 brave men and women who risk their lives every day.
My sister is one of "Philly’s Finest," and she frequently tells me how understaffed the Philadelphia Police Department is. By the way, Philadelphia’s murder rate was around 400 in 2007. Do you see my point?
People visit and move to New York City every day because Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg have worked on the vital issue of crime. Their city is now a "destination station." More than 20 million work in New York City each day. How do I know this?
I have a brother who lives in the Greater New York area and many of his neighbors are the brave men and women of the New York City Police Department. He commutes into work with many of New York’s Finest every day. People feel safe when they live and work in New York City. That is why they move to New York and raise their families there.
People everywhere want to feel safe on their streets, their neighborhoods and in their children’s schools. Now ask yourself, "Do I feel safe living and working here in Philadelphia?" My answer is a simple NO! To feel safe we need to have enough police to respond to our calls of help.
The Commonwealth Officers Act (HB1189) will add more than 10,000 new police officers throughout Pennsylvania, including 1,300 new recruits who will become a part of the Philadelphia police force.
It just makes good common sense to give Mayor Michael Nutter, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and our brave neighbors and friends who patrol our streets and try to keep us safe, the right tools to fight crime effectively. This fine bill will do just that.
The Pennsylvania state budget this year projects more than $27 billion! That is not a misprint. We are so eager to hand over $50 million to the businessmen of Chester to bring soccer to our state, yet we will not put enough men and women into uniform. This is just not right.
Ask your friends in the Pennsylvania Legislature to join with Reps. John Perzel, John Taylor and George Kenney to support House Bill 1189.
Let’s put down the negativity and partisanship that permeates our local government, and work to bring more police officers to the cities, towns and streets of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
More police will bring less crime and fewer murders to our streets. Tell Gov. Rendell that you support House Bill 1189.
John Farley
Somerton
Mr. Farley is a Republican candidate for state Senate in the 5th district who hopes to unseat incumbent Democrat Mike Stack.
Don’t blame Nutter appointee
for merely doing his job
Regarding retired police officer Robert McCann’s letter about Mayor Nutter’s new deputy mayor for public safety (Nutter’s pick shows a lack of compassion, Jan. 17 edition):
Mr. McCann seems to think that Mr. Nutter’s pick of Everett Gillison was insensitive. How, Mr. McCann? Why take this personally? Mr. Gillison served a need for the community. That’s right, a need. Criminals need to be defended, which was Mr. Gillison’s former job.
In case you do not know it, every citizen has a right to a defense. That comes from something called the Constitution. That is the law whether you like it or not.
Mr. Gillison served a purpose in our society afforded to citizens who have been accused of a crime — and the way this district attorney’s office conducts itself with overcharging, it is a great need indeed and something the public definitely needs to be kept safe from. And you feel that he is now unqualified to do the job? Your position is ridiculous and hypocritical.
The fact of the matter is that you are completely unable to provide an objective opinion, as you indicate that as a former police officer, you were slain Officer Gary Skerski’s "brother."
I say that your position is hypocritical, as you and other policemen are members of the FOP, an organization that has consistently defended bad policemen rather than do what is in the good of the public and citizens at large who get their slap in the face every time another bad cop is defended. I find it amazing that the only time I ever hear policemen speak up for victims is when it involves one of their own.
According to your logic, if someone defends bad guys they should be prohibited from serving in public office. With that said, clearly, neither you nor anyone else, should support former FOP president Rich Costello if he decides to run against state Rep. John Perzel.
To do otherwise would be a slap in the face to each and every citizen who should have been protected by bad cops whom Mr. Costello and the FOP defends or has defended.
News flash — it is not all about policemen and the FOP.
Raymond J. Dougherty Jr., Esq.
Pine Valley
Krajewski should be
ashamed of herself
Editor John Scanlon correctly used his pen and platform to shed necessary light on the egregious abuse of the DROP program. It’s not a "vendetta" when a newspaper informs readers about politicians’ and/or corporations’ misdeeds. It’s a tragedy that more media aren’t as responsible.
I agree with letter writer Loretta Dunigan that NO elected officials should be able to enroll in DROP. As they’re more than fairly compensated, will receive generous pensions, enjoy quality free health care and numerous perks, there’s no reason Krajewski, Tartaglione, Street or any politician should get more.
Rather than be "offended" by the Northeast Times’ rightly revealing greedy, corrupt "public servants," letter writers Ron Moskovitz and Elly Kline should castigate Joan Krajewski. So she does her job. She’s still not entitled to a lump sum payment of several hundred thousand dollars, especially when collected so deceitfully. Krajewski, et al, should be ashamed of taking a DROP payment when many Philadelphians are homeless, hungry, unemployed, lack health care and struggle to make ends meet. If she truly acted "without any thought of herself," she never would have signed up for DROP.
But as long as residents condemn those who speak truth to power instead of the wrongdoers, we’ll remain in the deep hole we’re now in. I hope Mayor Nutter works to repeal this unjust, offensive feeding trough for undeserving politicians.
Maria Farina
Rhawnhurst
Somerton is full
of dog duty
To the dog-owning residents of Somerton who do not curb their dogs, specifically those who live or border around the disgraceful Danny Boyle Recreation Center who do not curb their dogs:
What an absolute disgraceful way to honor fallen Officer Danny Boyle than to name a recreation center after him littered with all your dog crap!
This is a neighborhood that would have you believe they are middle class. This is a neighborhood full of city, police and fire department employees whose properties they "pride" themselves on with their neat landscape and clean sidewalks — the same residents who would call CLIP in a heartbeat if their neighbors fail to mow their lawn or pick up the leaves fast enough?
Better than all that, these are the same people who have their own kids run through that park, playing soccer and baseball, a park filled with all that dog crap. I know this because I live there, too. I know because I walk my dogs there, too. How can you pick up after your dog when you let it off the leash and let it run all over the park while you get about as much exercise as I guess you can stand by just standing there breathing?
How can you NOT take the whole 15 seconds that it takes to — oh my God — BEND OVER and pick up your dog’s crap?
They have trash cans all over, so that’s no excuse. By the way, I’m referring to the same trash cans that your kids don’t use either, when they’re up there drinking all your beer on the weekends, but that’s another story.
I walk my own dogs in Somerton and have never NOT picked it up. I imagine there must be other dog owners who feel and act the same way that I do — at least I would hope there is.
And for those who say "just ban the dogs, that’ll take care of that problem," I say just ban the dog owners who allow it to go on. As far as I’m concerned, you are all hypocrites and I hope you’re very proud of yourselves, your neighborhood and your playground. You are certainly raising the next generation just about right.
Diane Curry
Somerton
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