Readers: Somebody stop the killing!
New York City has already suffered
267 murders this year — and
is on track to top 300 before the
year is out.
Police offi cials, led by outgoing
Commissioner James O’Neill, and
Mayor Bill de Blasio presented
the numbers during the latest
Compstat report in Brooklyn on
Wednesday.
Chief of Detectives Dermot
Shea — who will take over for
O’Neill at the end of the month —
found himself in the hot seat because
his offi ce is investigating
several major homicides, including
the fatal shooting of 14-yearold
Aamir Griffi n on a basketball
court in October.
Shea pointed out that of the 29
murders this past month, eight
were part of two separate incidents,
including four found dead
at a Utica Avenue gambling hall
in Crown Heights on Oct. 12 and
the other four in gang related violence
in the Bronx. He attributed
the increase in homicides to rising
gang and narcotics violence.
Readers had a lot to say online:
No wonder the police commissioner
is resigning. NYC is becoming
a crime infested city!!
Fran Rizzo
Big surprise?
Clyde Henriques
How about NYPD might be behind
the increase??? They want more of
them!!!
Fatima Chipo
Meanwhile DeBlasio is looking
for some more perks to get them to
appear in court....
Serge Kass
Poor leadership. That’s an easy
one.
Karma Elizaeth Lynott
Biggest gang is the NYPD.
Lidia Alvarez
Doggone it!
Some lowlife stole a dog from
outside a Bushwick McDonald’s
on Thursday.
Owner Harrys Leroy tied up his
two dogs outside the fast-food joint
on Broadway near Gates Avenue
at around 10 pm on Nov. 7, only
to return a few minutes later to
fi nd one of the pooches, an American
bully named Havoc, had been
snatched, according to girlfriend
Nicole Polsinelli.
The remaining mutt, a pitbull
mix named Rogue, remained outside
the McDonald’s, but she’d also
been untied and the owners suspect
COURIER LIFE, N 38 OVEMBER 15-21, 2019
SOUND OFF TO THE EDITOR
LETTERS AND COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS
it was the canine’s guard-dog sensibilities
that saved her from being
dognapped along with her brother,
according to Polsinelli.
Readers spoke up online:
Here’s hoping the dog is OK, but if
your need for fast food makes you put
your pet at risk, maybe you shouldn’t
have one.
Janet Gottlieb
This is a common way to steal bait
dogs for fi ghting. Friendly, outgoing
dogs of any size are easy prey. Please
y’all, never do this!
Elizabeth Dowling
Sad but this is why I NEVER leave
my dog. Always with me and if I have
to go in the store, I bring him home
and go back.
Laura VKon
Never leave my dog. I’ve seen dogs
tied outside stores. It’s a stupid thing
to do.
Christina Gardner
If you can’t take your dog into the
store then leave the dog at home!!
Toni Risi
Who would leave their dog unattended?
Never ever.
Mike Viehl
Don’t ever leave your pet unattended.
Toni Elizabeth Kurasch
I really hope this dog is not used
as bait or to fi ght.
Thomas Latham
These thugs just steal to take something
that doesnt belong to them...
now they’ll abuse the dog too....what
ashame!!
Fran Rizzo
All this over churros?!
Elected offi cials and transit advocates
are treating a viral video
of police harassing a churros vendor
at the Broadway Junction subway
stop as Exhibit A in their campaign
to stop Governor Andrew
Cuomo from hiring 500 new cops to
police the city’s subway system.
“We can’t avoid connecting this
directly to the 500 additional offi -
cers,” said state Sen. Julia Salazar.
“They’re bullying teenagers,
hurting the trust between people
and police, and bullying vendors.”
Salazar partnered with advocates
at Riders Alliance and the
Street Vendors Project to organize
a protest outside Broadway
Junction on Monday, where they
were joined by the vendor, named
Elsa, who became internet famous
after footage of police cuffi ng her
and confi scating her snack cart on
Friday accrued nearly 2 million
views.
“I’m here alone and no one
helps. I’m here 4 years but it wasn’t
like this, this guy is very racist,”
Elsa said at the rally. “I feel terrible,
I tell them give me tickets but
don’t take away my stuff, it’s all I
have to work for my kids.”
Readers made themselves heard
online:
Waaaaaaa! She broke the law and
was arrested. And BTW, who buys
“homemade” foods in the subway?
Gross on all accounts. Why pull the
race card ? Was she singled out because
of her ethnicity? or was she
singled out because she was selling
food prepared in who knows where
without a license or inspection from
health dept. Who buys these churros
anyway?
Barbara Klepadlo Syversen
But she had 10 previous summonses
for the same thing... I can’t
support this.
Sheila Hall
Hey!!! What about the horde of
Unlicensed Souvenir Sellers that
clog the Manhattan Side Entrances
to Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian and
Bike Path?? Create a hazardous situation.
William Lee
Two points: We have more pressing
crimes to pursue than an unlicensed
churros vendor. The cops
could have issued a ticket, called for
an interpreter to keep the situation
more low-key. Two: Cuomo’s plan
is in response to fare evaders. You
don’t need a police offi cer to issue a
ticket for fare evasion. Paying cops
are expensive. Training cops are expensive.
Cops’ pensions are expensive.
Undercover or uniformed fare
enforcement personnel could issue
tickets. Give them body cams to record
and fi le events, so that if something
has to escalate to the legal system
or a police involvement, it can
with higher rate of resolve. Assigning
more police is costly and heavier
handed than is generally needed.
Stephen Flanigan
This wasn’t her fi rst time. She’s
been issued tickets several times before.
She had a Spanish speaking offi
cer explaining everything to her.
She was given the chance to leave
but didn’t. She would not comply to
police commands and was placed in
custody. Bottom line is. It’s illegal to
sell anything in the subway without
a license or permit. She broke the law
and the cops did their job by enforcing
the law. End of story.
Eddie Villegas
So what? It’s churros, not meth.
Ellen Goldin
Did she have a license to sell them,
they are required, food vendors have
to pay to sell things so why is she
any different? This isn’t racist, it’s
against the law to sell things without
going through the same steps everyone
else has to.
Mar Surrey-Matt
So what? It’s churros, not meth.
Don’t the police have any real crimes
left to fi ght? They’re picking on the
churro ladies, who provide sweet sustenance
to the tired commuting public.
Give her info on how she can get a
vendor license, don’t arrest her.
Ellen Goldin
I’m never for Big Govt but what
about health inspections? Taxes? If I
sold bagels on the subway I’m certain
I’d be “harassed” by the Fuzz! And of
course they trained her well of the
use of the word “racist.”
Seamus McHenry
Oh please lady!!!! Crying? Really??!!!!
Rallying around her for
what? She broke the law!!!
Tabitha Tabb
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