the ‘mom and pop’ stores are
vanishing into history. I understand
the people at Pelham Bay
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 1 BTR 3-19, 2019 13
letters & comments
BTR
as stated
Diner need to eat, but so do I.
Nathan F. Weiner
Police shortage
in the 45th Pct.
Dear editor,
The 45th Precinct has recently
lost nine offi cers due to
retirements and other reassignments.
We need to increase
police presence in our community.
The city allocates dollars
and offi cers by the volume of
calls made to 911 and 311.
When you see a crime in
progress it is important to call
911 fi rst, not the 45th Precinct
directly. You may call the Precinct
or your NCO offi cers to
follow-up on a call but to get
the proper attention to a crime
in progress call 911 fi rst. Don’t
think someone else will do it.
If everyone assumed someone
else will call the chances are
no one has called until it is
too late. You should also use
311 to report a crime or other
dangerous situation if it is
not an immediate emergency.
It can be a crime as minor as
a broken window or a noise
complaint, cars parked without
proper tags and parked
for longer than week without
moving.
Remember when you call
311 get the complaint number
so that information about your
complaint can be tracked. It’s
important to get the calls in to
increase police presence. Now
that we have the NCO program
we still need to keep calling in
the complaint reports or we
will lose police manpower. Our
community is viewed as a low
crime area and we do not receive
the police coverage we
are entitled to because many
crime victims do not call and
report crime.
Pelham Bay, Schuylerville
and Throggs Neck have becoming
more dangerous. The two
new malls, Bay Plaza and the
Throggs Neck mall at Ferry
Point have brought more crime
to our precinct but no additional
police offi cers. The new
malls are keeping our offi ces
busy with crime in the parking
lots and shoplifting in the
Need info on
1990s death
(A request for information
from 20 years ago.)
Dear editor,
Hello, I’m seeking help
about tracing a death in Schuylerville,
and being that you’re
the local newspaper, you might
be able to direct me.
I was told that I had a distant
relative who lived on Maitland
Avenue, zip code 10461,
in the Bronx, who died of either
a gas leak or a suicide.
She knew a man named Mr.
Sweeney on that street. I don’t
know the address nor my relative’s
full name, but I was
told her fi rst name was Mary.
I don’t know where her death
happened, just the street
name. My search for an article
pertaining to this incident has
yielded nothing.
An uncle told me this story.
Does it sound familiar? He said
it happened in the 1990s. Any
help would be appreciated.
Please contact me at kittymonroy@
aol.com.
D. Barrett
Putting food
on the table
Dear editor,
I cannot ignore Larry
Penner’s ‘Sorry To See Diner
Close.’
I am sorry to see the Pelham
Bay Diner close too. As a
lifelong Bronx resident, it has
memories for me.
But, I do not wish to hear
how diners are a part of Mr.
Penner’s life, a detailed inventory
of their menus, the size of
their portions, or his takeout
habits. Nor do I wish to have
Mr. Penner make me feel guilty
by calling on me to ‘support my
local diner’ or else their workers
won’t eat.
There are facts Mr. Penner
needs to be reminded of. Not
everyone can afford to eat out
at a diner. Growing up, I ate
my meals at home. My parents
couldn’t afford diner meals. As
a single father of a college student,
I cannot afford meals at
diners either.
The free market has decided
in favor of fast food chains versus
diners. For better or worse,
Sidewalk repairs caused by
curb side trees dominated the
news of the day in this week’s
As Stated. One- to 3-family
homes will no longer be held
fi nancially responsible for the
damage. Also, Councilwoman
Vanessa Gibson pays tribute
to the passing of a Bronx trailblazer,
Wendell Foster.
Assembly Speaker Carl
Heastie’s statement on the announcement
to relieve homeowners
of the cost of repairing sidewalks
damaged by city trees.....
“Today I joined the mayor to
announce the city will no longer
impose liens on one-, two-
and three-family properties
that have sidewalk damage
caused by city trees. The City
of New York has done the right
thing by relieving homeowners
of the fi nancial burdens they
have incurred through no fault
of their own.
“The city will also review
the 50,000 existing notices of
violation to determine if they
were caused exclusively by city
trees, and cancel the lien for
any that meet those criteria. If
the homeowner of the qualifying
property is selling or refi -
nancing their home, the city
will expedite this re-evaluation.”
Assemblyman Michael R.
Benedetto releases a response
ASSEMBLYMAN
MICHAEL BENEDETTO
stores. Car tires are still being
stolen on our streets overnight,
cars are being broken into in
front of our homes and drugs
are sold on our street corners
and playgrounds where our
children play.
We have not received any additional
police in our precinct.
The police we have do a very
good job but they need more
help. No neighborhood wants
to be viewed as a high crime
area but if we don’t report our
incidents as they happen we
will become a high crime area
through our own fault. Homeland
Security suggests “ if you
see something say something”
and this applies to anything
that goes on in your neighborhood.
If you see cars parked
blocking a hydrant or a suspicious
person looking in back
yards, people that you believe
don’t belong please call 911 its
better to be safe than sorry. If
we don’t keep the pressure on
by making complains we will
be the losers. Support your local
Police.
Andrew Chirico
Waterbury LaSalle
Community Association
to an anouncement that the
city will be responsible for sidewalk
damage caused by street
trees..... “Assembly Speaker
Carl Heastie and Mayor Bill de
Blasio’s plan to halt sidewalk
violation liens on one-, two-
and three-family properties
that have been damaged solely
by city trees is a great relief to
constituents in the tree-lined
communities I represent.
“This agreement will address
the delicate balance between
the urgent need for urban
trees and the frustrated
homeowners who have to deal
with the insurance liability
and costly repairs encumbered
on them when a mature tree’s
roots break or lift their sidewalk.”
State Senator Jamaal Bailey’s
statement on the city’s new
sidewalk repair initiative.....
“Representing a district that
has a signifi cant amount of homeowners,
this announcement
is welcome news; especially to
homeowners that far too often
face the issue of sidewalk damage
caused by city-owned trees,
due to no fault of their own. Homeowners
already face heavy
burdens and responsibilities
in maintaining their property,
and this measure has the potential
to provide signifi cant
economic relief and allow property
owners to focus on other
necessary maintenance for
their homes.”
Councilwoman Vanessa
Gibson’s statement on the passing
of Rev. Wendell Foster.....
“On behalf of the 16th Council
District, I send my condolences
and prayers to the Foster family
on the passing of the Hon.
Rev. Wendell Foster, a leader,
teacher and preacher, the fi rst
African American elected
to the City Council from the
Bronx who served from 1978 to
2001.
“I am honored to represent
the same district he led in the
Council for 23 years. For many
years, he led Christ Church as
its senior pastor in Morrisania
and most recently, became
Pastor Emeritus. I send my
love and prayerof condolences
to his wife of nearly 63 years
Helen Foster, his daughters, Diane
Foster and Rebekah Foster,
his granddaughter, relatives,
friends, and the entire Christ
Church Family.”
Assembly Speaker Carl
Heastie encourages relief fforts
for the Bahamas..... “The devastation
wrought by Hurricane
Dorian on the Bahamas has
been heartbreaking. These islands
hold a special place in my
heart as the place my paternal
grandparents called home, and
I have returned there often to
visit friends and family.
“Working with the Consulate
General of the Bahamas and
the Bahamian American Association,
I am proud to sponsor
a relief drive in my district offi
ce at 1446 E. Gun Hill Road
on Friday, September 13 from
noon to 6 p.m. Urgently needed
items include bottled watered,
canned goods and other nonperishable
items.
Congressman Jose A.
Serrano’s statement on the
Trump Administration’s efforts
to continue its push for a citizenship
question on the 2020 Census
Form..... “It seems like the
Trump Administration will
stop at nothing in its efforts to
undermine the completion of a
fair and accurate 2020 Census.
“Because printing of the
Census form without the citizenship
question has now
started, amending the form
could potentially cost hundreds
of millions of additional
taxpayer dollars, in addition to
untold millions of dollars for
additional non-response followup
resources next year. I once
again urge the Trump Administration
to give up this fi ght
and allow for a depoliticized
and accurate census, as we always
have.”
Letters to the editor are welcome from all readers. They should
be addressed care of this newspaper to Laura Guerriero, Publisher,
the Bronx Times Reporter, 3604 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx,
NY 10465, or e-mail to bronxtimes@cnglocal.com. All letters,
including those submitted via e-mail, MUST be signed and with
a verifi able address and telephone number included. Note that
the address and telephone number will NOT be published and
the name will be published or withheld upon request. No unsigned
letters can be accepted for publication. The editor reserves
the right to edit all submissions.
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