Readers: Think of the fi sh!
An actor from the iconic
HBO mob drama “Sopranos” demanded
Brooklyn Bridge Park
stop holding all-ages fi shing
workshops, saying they’re teaching
kids to torture animals — for
fun!
“Most children have a natural
empathy for animals, and
that kindness should be nurtured,
not undermined by teaching
kids that it’s okay to hook fi sh
and yank them out of their natural
environment for ‘fun,’” Edie
Falco — a Brooklyn native who
played Carmela, the wife of fi ctional
New Jersey mob boss Tony
Soprano — wrote in a letter on
behalf of the animal rights group
People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals to the semi-private
corporation in charge of the waterfront
green space. “May I hear
that you’ll make this year’s clinics
the last?”
The park organization’s partner
group in charge of programming,
the Brooklyn Bridge Park
Conservancy, debuted the six
workshops in May, where experts
and marine biologists teach budding
anglers young and old the
basics of line fi shing from Pier 5.
But the thespian said that the
fi sh can suffer permanent damage
or even die from being pulled
out of their natural habitat by a
hook through their mouths.
Readers had a lot to say online:
I represent PASPFF people
against shooting people for fun. Its
the height of chutzpah for one of the
cast members of one of the most violent
and misogynist shows on tv
complains about catch and release
fi shing. Frank from
Furter
Hurting animals isn’t fun — end
these please. Do something to help
sea life instead, like a garbage pickup.
Meghan from Bay Ridge
Research on fi sh sentience has
revealed that fi sh have excellent
COURIER L 32 IFE, SEPT. 20-26, 2019
long-term memories, are savvy social
learners, develop cultural traditions,
and use tools. They also feel
pain. It’s time for a sea change. We
should pay attention to what science
is showing us (and what common
sense has told us all along), and let
fi sh live in peace.
Paula Renee
If they actually eat the fi sh, they
catch, what is wrong with that?
Does everybody, have to pay $20.00
plus per lb. for “fresh fi sh”; (previously
frozen fi sh) - at Whole Foods,
or upscale fi sh stores? If the fi sh
are just thrown in dumpsters then
the needless slaughter should be
stopped.
SCR from Realityville
Thank you, Edie! I agree. Faking
out fi sh with an easy meal and
hooking them for “fun” is cruel
and frankly, strange. Leave fi sh in
peace.
Jennofur OConner
I’m so glad that fi nally someone
is taking a stand for animal rights.
Jane from Brooklyn
Bravo, Edie! There is so much
violence in the world already - we
should be teaching kids to respect
live and treat all living beings with
compassion.
LucyP
Edie is right. Fishing is the
equivalent of stabbing humans with
metal hooks to pull them underwater
so they die a slow, painful death.
Hard pass.
KimMarie from Greenpoint
Freak accident, or
preventable death?
A motorist struck and killed
a 10-year-old boy in Midwood on
Tuesday after suffering a “medical
episode” while he was behind
the wheel, according to police.
The operator of a Lexus SUV was
traveling northbound on Ocean Avenue
when he suffered some kind of
attack and lost control of the vehicle
at around 2:40 p.m. on Sept. 10,
when he veered onto the sidewalk
and hit Enzo Farachio, who was
waiting at a bus stop near Avenue
L, police said.
The car then continued to roll
forward until it smashed into
some nearby scaffolding, where
it ultimately came to a halt, cops
said.
First responders took Farachio
to New York Community Hospital,
where doctors pronounced
him dead, according to authorities.
Readers spoke out online:
How does anyone bear the unbearable?
But when someone has a
medical event the car will go off of
the road regardless of speed.
I wonder if the driver had a preexisting
condition and was driving
despite the dangerous condition?
I’m not looking for someone to be
punished, but it is diffi cult to blame
fate and do nothing.
Billy from Sunset Park
I have been driving in the city
for over 50 Years and rode a bicycle
for at least 10 years longer.
In the 70s I actually rode my
bike to work in the summer when I
worked in Sunset Park. So I know
what it is to ride in the streets.
In that time I saw incredibly stupid
maneuvers by bicyclists and
equally stupid maneuvers by drivers.
It’s not the drivers fault that
the bicyclists are in the street nor
is it the bicyclists fault that they
need to ride in the street to get
from one place to another.
In cities like Seattle over 35% of
people who commute to work do so
on a bicycle.
I personally seen them traveling
through the city the difference
is that they virtually have no interaction
with cars. They travel from
the outskirts of the city on designated
bicycle paths. Something
that’s unheard of here in the city.
So what we have here are frustrated
drivers who drive in perpetual
congestion and people who want
to ride bicycles forced to share the
road with these frustrated drivers.
So what is the solution?
Ban cars or ban bicycles? You
and I know that neither one of
those things are going to happen
so what the hell are we talking
about here.
Bob from Gerritson Beach
This could have been avoided
if he didn’t lose control of the car!
Why did he do that?!
Penny from Cobble Hill
Seriously. No matter how explained,
this was the case of another
driver ending the life of a little
boy. I can not imagine the pain.
NYC drivers are extremely dangerous
to pedestrians (and cyclists)
-and each other.
After many decades in the city,
and seeing so many maimed and
injured for life, I am of the strong
opinion that the city speed limit of
cars should be lowered to that of a
bicycle, or 15 MPH. With swift removals
of licenses.
Leif Ericsson
Bay Ridge bus
service stinks
I am writing in regard to bus
service in the Bay Ridge area
where I live.
I mostly ride the B63 and B64
buses on Bay Ridge Avenue near
Fifth avenue. I have found these
buses to have atrociously slow service.
Things have even gotten worse
in recent days. It is a disgrace that
service during rush hours seems
even slower than non peak hours.
Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge going
through Park Slope and Downtown
Brooklyn requires more service.
The B63 is extremely crowded
and the intervals between buses
is too long. As a senior with some
difficulty standing up I require a
seat and this sometimes isn’t possible
with the crowds on this bus.
Just taking the B64 bus to the supermarket
creates a hassle for me
because service is so slow. I sometimes
need to take this bus all the
way to Coney Island and that ride is
never ending and it would be nice if
a bus even shows up once in awhile.
I fi nd the My MTA app to be unreliable
as sometimes buses appear
and then disappear on the radar.
Something needs to be done with
bus service on these 2 particular
lines which serve me. I rely more
and more on buses these days since
I have limited mobility. and cannot
stand for long periods waiting for
buses if there is no bus shelter at
the stop I am at.
Please look into this matter.
Bay Ridge and Park Slope are areas
that deserve much better than
this on their main thoroughfare of
Fifth Avenue.
Steve Yanowsky
Bay Ridge
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