To the editor,
Assemblywoman Joan Millman (D–Cobble Hill) is helping our community by opposing the intrusion of a charter school in District 15 (“Union fights charter plan,” Nov. 25).
I am a taxpayer, an education researcher and a community activist, and one of a large number of area residents hoping to keep the Success Academy from undercutting our children’s education in public schools.
Charter schools have been less effective than public schools across the country. New York has sanctioned charter schools in poverty-stricken areas with low student achievement, despite this finding. Why place a charter school in a prosperous part of District 15, one of the highest achieving school districts in the city? Why are we the only city allowing for-profit charter schools to operate in city buildings rent free?
The Brooklyn School for Global Studies has been designated a “transformation” school, and the city has received federal funds with the promise to focus on strengthening and supporting the school. Why risk that funding and undermine the learning of its students? Why give resources to the Success Academy, which has been found to “push out” students with high needs, and has had a high rate of teacher and student attrition?
Parents and other taxpayers must thank the United Federation of Teachers and Millman for their efforts to protect our schools.
Rosalie Friend,
Park Slope
Permit problem
To the editor,
I don’t normally agree with Republicans on most things, but I completely agree with Rep. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) that permit parking is yet another tax on car owners (“The Golden rule” Nov. 11).
It will discourage shoppers and restaurant patrons, as well as friends and family from other Brooklyn neighborhoods who are unable to use public transit due to age and disabilities, and impair the logistics of transporting packages and equipment to the area.
The Barclays Center arena is poorly located, and I sympathize greatly with the residents who had this project forced upon them.
Instead of charging a fee — completely unfair! — the creation of free parking for residents would be better.
Jane Landis,
Park Slope
Occupy Bklyn
To the editor,
I saw the Occupy Wall Street protesters walking to Times Square with their drums and slogans, chanting, “What is democracy? This is democracy,” (“Occupy Brooklyn takes Grand Army Plaza,” Oct. 21).
They looked like the protestors I had walked with during the 1960s as a young adult living in San Francisco. I was one of the protesters who surrounded the Oakland induction center during an anti-Vietnam protest. I too thought, at the time, that it was a wonderful show of freedom and an empowering experience.
We were told to put Vaseline under our eyes in case tear gas was used. We marched, energized by the threat of violence that might happen when we confronted the “blue meanies,” otherwise known as the Alameda County sheriff’s deputies. We confronted the deputies, eye-ball to eye-ball, and believed that nothing could happen to us. Nothing did, and by 10 am, we declared that we had “won the war,” left downtown Oakland and went back home.
My immediate reaction to the Wall Street protestors was wondering what will happen when they realize that government or big banks can’t furnish their needs.
Most people can probably sympathize with the protesters, and agree about the excesses of big banks and the concentration of wealth by the few, but I really don’t care that bank regulations were lifted so that U.S. banks can compete with big global banks — I just want my neighborhood bank back, instead of the Spanish bank that took it over!
No one knows where the Wall Street protests are taking us. It is interesting and worrisome, but big government solutions are not the answer.
Barbara Brookhart,
Carroll Gardens
Art attack
To the editor,
The Brooklyn Museum is exhibiting a video of insects crawling over the bloody body of Jesus Christ — just in time for the holidays (“Saved! ‘Offensive crucifix will stay in Museum show,” Nov. 18).
This is art? In someone’s sick mind it is, and it’s also protected by the First Amendment.
This is just another instance of the Christian-bashing that happens to be very popular these days, especially around Christmas.
Rosie Boxer, Rockaway Point, N.Y.
Slice of life
To the editor,
I have to hand it to Dom Di Fara of Di Fara’s Pizza (“Free Dom DeMarco! Reopen Di Fara!” online, Nov. 22).
He gets closed up by the health department every so often, gets a week’s vacation, cleans the place up, re-opens, gets thousands of dollars worth of free advertising, then has lines out of his door with people paying five bucks for a slice of pizza for the rest of the year.
This guy is not only a great pizza maker, he’s a marketing genius!
Di Fara’s fools all the people all the time — over and over again!
Michael Mangiari,
Dyker Heights
• • •
To the editor,
When did it become OK to make fun of the mentally ill?
I am appalled by your story about the poor woman who had what seems like a psychotic breakdown in Bay Ridge (“Naked rampage,” Nov. 18).
Why did you feel it appropriate to post photos? I am embarrassed for you, for your paper, and for the people who feel this is newsworthy and amusing.
I only wish someone was able to help this poor woman before the media and the cellphone camera jackals emerged.
Have you no decency? This is someone’s child, possibly someone’s mother. She needed help and Bay Ridge residents stood by with cameras, catching every minute of the poor lady’s breakdown.
Classy move, Brooklyn. I only hope that no one reading this has to experience mental illness in their life.
It is truly terrifying and not something to joke about.
Marybeth Smith-Affe,
Bay Ridge
Cold diggers
To the editor,
Your article, “Ice Creamed!” (Nov. 25) was a complete joke.
Sara Abraham of Williamsburgh “claims” to have bitten into a frozen dime while eating Haagen-Dazs ice cream. You explain how she and her husband have already hired a lawyer, and that Sara is quoted as saying, “I don’t want to eat ice cream anymore.” Is she kidding me? You mean this poor woman is going to be so traumatized and emotionally scarred for the rest of her life from finding a dime in her ice cream?
I’ve had it with these cases. It sickens me when people spill coffee on themselves and sue Starbucks and other companies for millions of dollars, claiming their product was too hot. Why does the taxpayer have to foot the bill for these gold diggers? When are these do-nothing politicians going to pass a law that states if a plaintiff loses a “frivolous” court case, he or she must be responsible for all court fees?
Haagen-Dazs shouldn’t give this lady a dime!
Rick Lundberg
