WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MARCH 29, 2018 13
LETTERS AND COMMENTS OP-ED
BOULEVARD BIKE
LANE UNSAFE FOR
ANYONE
Regarding the Northern Boulevard
bike lane: This bike lane is a tremendous
hazard, not only at this intersection, but
at the Cross Island Parkway North entrance
ramp a couple hundred feet east.
I am an avid biker myself, but I
would never in a million years want
to cross that intersection alone or with
my family on bikes. Even though I
travel that route oft en, I have diffi culty
fi guring out the logic, or rhythm of the
light pattern. It’s just off . The light is
confusing to drivers and bikers alike.
I’ve witnessed many near fender
benders, and confused bikers
impacted by the strange timing of the
light sequence. This intersection is not
in any way safer than it was previously
to the bike lane being constructed.
I fear what will happen to bike
riders when they become more active
with the warmer weather. People are
going to get seriously hurt.
QNS member tone601
READER: DON’T
BLAME LEFT FOR
GUN WOES
Thank goodness the editor pointed out
the many reasons why Edward Riecks
(“Blame the Left for Gun Problems,” Letters
& Comments, March 15) is wrong on the
issue of gun control. I question why they
would print his letter in the first place.
It is completely, ridiculously, laughable
that Mr. Riecks blames Democrats for
“gun problems.” He ignored facts like the
top 10 recipients of NRA donations in both
the Senate and Congress are Republicans.
Or that the Republican-controlled legislature
of Florida finally took some steps to
address (as they put it) a devastating public
health risk. No, I’m not talking about voting,
or even considering a ban on assault
weapons (nearly all of the 71 Republicans
who have an “A” rating from the NRA
refused to even bring it up for debate).
Instead they began debate on a bill that
declares pornography a public health risk.
Mr. Riecks goes on to say that the “do
your own thing” mentality of the 1960s
is to blame. Amazing. The peace and love
generation is responsible for the current
climate of mass shootings? I recall Crosby,
Stills & Nash singing “Love the one you’re
with” not “Love the gun you’re with.”
Robert LaRosa, Whitestone
Editor’s note: In response to Mr. LaRosa’s
question about why this paper ran
Mr. Riecks’ letter, it should be noted that
this publication believes in the freedom
of expression, even if a person’s viewpoints
diff er from the editorial stance
on topics such as gun regulation.
TROUBLING
NUMBERS OF
HOMELESS IN NYC
As reported, there is alone 10,513 in
Queens housing shelters. Homelessness
rose across the city by 38 percent.
In addition rents went up 18.4 percent
but wages only increased by 4.8 percent.
What is most troubling is that
there is over 60,000 in the homeless
shelters, not to mention those living
on the streets and subways.
Even more troubling is many of
the children in these shelters are not
attending school on a regular basis.
The mayor and the City Council
need to fi nd ways to do better to
help the homeless. I dream of the
day when the are no more homeless
in this great city of ours due to the
compassion of our city leaders. I was
homeless in the 1970s aft er leaving
the U.S. Navy, so I can truly feel the
pain and suff ering of the homeless.
So I ask the mayor and the City
Council to hear the cries of those
in desperation and only wanting a
place to call “Home sweet home.”
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Glen Oaks Village
Email your letters to editorial@qns.
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Names will be withheld upon request,
but anonymous letters will not be
considered for publication. The
views expressed in all letters and
comments are not necessarily those
of this publication or its staff .
Make our schools gun-free
BY ROBERT A. SCOTT, CAROLE
ARTIGIANI AND DEVIN THORNBURG
The shooting in Parkland, Florida,
has prompted yet another round
of discussions about guns in
schools, gun control, and mental
health. This was yet one more of too
many shooting incidents that have
ripped the fabric of trust that is so
essential to a community.
It is a basic tenet of a stable society
that young people have a right to
education in a safe environment, free
of violence. Schools must be places of
safety and security, where children
can learn unimpeded by fear; places
of inspiration, not intimidation; places
of caring and inclusiveness, and never
places of anonymity. The United States
pledged as much in signing the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and
the Convention on the Rights of the
Child.
Unfortunately, we are failing in these
basic requirements. What happened in
Parkland was 2018’s thirtieth incident
of what are labeled as “mass killings”:
the killing of three or more people at a
time. It is reported that there have been
1,624 mass killings in the past fi ve years,
almost one a day. Of these, nearly 300
were shootings in schools, an average
of almost one per week.
School shootings seem to have
some common characteristics. They
are mostly committed by young white
males who own multiple weapons, including
high-powered automatic rifl es,
and who have, at times, shown signs of
emotional distress or isolation. They
seem to have become disaff ected with
their schoolmates and teachers.
In response to the killings, people
cry for greater gun control, increasing
the age to purchase a gun, requiring
a “waiting period” before completing
a purchase, and banning the mechanisms
that turn a rifl e into an automatic
weapon. Now, some politicians are calling
for teachers and school personnel to
carry or have weapons available nearby.
Yet even in regions where this is
allowed, the sentiment is negative. Educators
and their colleagues overwhelmingly
say they don’t want to be armed or have
access to a gun. They cite the evidence
from research showing that more guns
equal more killing. In schools where
guns are allowed, the sentiment is, at best,
cautious. As one school superintendent
said, “We can’t stop an active shooter, but
we can minimize the carnage.”
So, what to do? Instead of guns,
schools need teachers with the time
and training to be alert to students
who show signs of trouble in their behavior,
their speech, and their writing.
Schools need protocols for what to do
with such information even as they
protect the privacy of those exhibiting
disturbing traits. This means
that schools need trained counselors
and psychologists, as well as teachers,
who have the time to get to know the
students and their families. Schools
need to be small enough to help create
a sense of community.
While the arguments for gun control
are critically important, the requirements
for school safety must not be
drowned out by these debates. We must
consider broader and more sustainable
strategies for protecting children.
Teachers don’t need guns; they
need support and respect. We don’t
need “friendly fi re” in our schools; we
need common sense controls over who
has access to guns. We know that the
answer to gun violence is not to make
more guns available. The answer is to
adopt public policies as if people matter.
Robert A. Scott is president emeritus
of Adelphi University; Carole Artigiani
is founder and president emerita of
Global Kids, Inc.; and Devin Thornburg
is professor at .Adelphi University.
A LOOK BACK
This remarkable photo from 1927
shows Van Dine Avenue (present
day 88th Street) looking north
Th
in Glendale. This pastoral setting
disappeared long ago, but the
railroad crossing in the foreground
— which is part of the Long
Island Rail Road Montauk branch
— remains in place. Send your historic
photos by email to editorial@
qns.com (subject: A Look Back)
or mail printed pictures to A Look
Back, ℅ Schneps Communications,
38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY
11361. All mailed pictures will be
carefully returned to you.
Ridgewood Times archives/Greater Ridgewood Historical Society