Op-Ed Letters to the Editor
Bone-nanza
for tours
To The Editor:
Re “Bones to be reburied
in Washington Square Park”
(news article, July 11):
This is dignifi ed, and it
makes me proud. Thank you,
Community Board 2, for your
resolution that says the community
board “looks forward
to consideration of additional
narrative markers which might
elaborate on the rich history of
the park.”
I hope these markers are illustrated
and include information
about the area’s Native
American heritage.
Jared Goldstein
Goldstein is owner, Jared The
NYC Tour Guide
Feeling the
Pride again!
To The Editor:
Re “Alterna March reboots
to Pride roots” (news article,
July 11):
This! This is what I used to
go to when attending a Pride
parade! Love this! Thank you
for publishing.
Kelli Anne Busey
Losing pride
in Pride
To The Editor:
Re “The problem with
Pride” (Guest Editorial, by
Elissa Stein, July 4):
We’ve just banned billboards
on barges on our rivers.
Let’s stop letting commercial
groups use our L.G.B.T. and
ethnic parades as an advertising
medium. If they really
want to support the groups
staging the parades, let them
hold up a banner on the sidelines
or get listed in a program
for the event. But taking up all
that space and time with their
tacky walking and squawking
ads is intolerable and stretched
this “Pride” parade into a 12½-
hour ordeal.
My fi rst Christopher St. Liberation
Day march was in 1974
and it was joyous and I have
attended every one since until
this year. In time, however, the
march turned into this unrecognizable
parade to nowhere.
PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER
At the Queer Liberation
March, John Kelly, sporting
a Howl! Happening
gallery T-shirt, held a sign
for Marsha P. Johnson, the
legendary Greenwich Village
gay-liberation activist
and self-identified
drag queen. Johnson was
a prominent figure in the
1969 Stonewall Uprising.
Time for the city to set limits
on commercial exploitation of
these events. Thank goodness
for Reclaim Pride — a true
commemoration of the Stonewall
Rebellion.
Andrew Humm
Rave review
for Reinholz
To The Editor:
Re “Wolff dishes more (alleged)
Trump dirt” (arts article,
July 4):
Mary Reinholz’s superb
writing style, plus her excellent
research into the facts, make
this a nuanced, informative
and thought-provoking read.
Kudos to you for having such
an outstanding journalist contributing
to your paper.
Janet Wolfe
Hitting the wall
To The Editor:
Re “Just say No to East Side
Resiliency Plan; I did” (op-ed,
by Paul DiRienzo, July 4):
Great to see someone reporting
on and taking a stand
with their positions about the
city’s plans for the East Side
Coastal Resiliency Plan. Regarding
Gouverneur Gardens,
I wanted to just clarify a couple
of quick things.
In his column, Paul Di-
Rienzo writes: “Gouverneur
Gardens would have to cede
land along Montgomery St. for
a wall that the Mitchell-Lama
co-op building would then apparently
have to care for and
insure.
The wall’s ability to protect
the E.S.C.R.P. from nature’s
fl anking maneuver isn’t a sure
thing.”
My current understanding is
that we won’t be giving up our
land, but rather ceding access
to the city to our property for
their fl oodwall system. In our
case, the fl oodwall would be
on the public sidewalk adjacent
to our property. Never have
we been told that we would
have to care for the wall, and
we certainly wouldn’t agree to
that.
One of our biggest concerns,
however, is liability. But I don’t
believe we are being asked to
cover any insurance for the
fl oodwall along our area.
Your comment about the
wall’s ability to protect us all
is duly noted and will remain a
concern we seek to address.
Thanks for your continued
care on this very important issue
— and especially for taking
the time to highlight Gouverneur’s
role and concerns
within all this. It’s much appreciated.
Frank Avila-Goldman
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Anonymous letters will not be
published.
Gansevoort needs
nature and a fi eld
BY LYNN PACIFICO
When our mothers told us to go out and play, they
might have just wanted us out of the house. But we
benefi tted from those afternoons in the park — in
more ways than we imagined. Science is proving the staggering
benefi ts of spending time in nature for all of us, but especially
for children.
But West Village children can actually get a ticket for climbing
a tree in the Hudson River Park. This area is lacking a real
park, not a manicured garden parkway but a natural area, in
which all children, including those who play league sports,
can climb a tree and appreciate the wonder and magic of nature.
We have the chance to do this with Gansevoort Peninsula.
What makes the peninsula so special is that it is land — albeit,
landfi ll — as opposed to the piers in our waterfront park.
This is especially important in Downtown Manhattan
where we have so little park and open space. Here we cover
our fi elds with plastic and our new “pocket” parks are being
fi tted with synthetic turf instead of grass, damaging not only
to our ecosystem but also to us and our children.
To turf any part of Gansevoort would be a crime against
nature and a missed opportunity for our community. Humans
are a part of nature — something we forget. Our time on the
ground is made even more valuable considering most New
Yorkers live in the air.
We need at least one natural area in the West Village with
native trees, wild fl owers, bushes, grasses and weeds. (Weeds
feed migrating wildlife, and should be allowed to grow where
possible.) A nature trail winding through healthy, climbable
trees and tall pines with picnic benches under shade trees
would be a wonderful respite from the dry, concrete, brickand
asphalt of our active “denser by the day” city.
A get-down to the water where small boats could be
launched would promote water activities and provide a meeting
place for boaters.
We also need a sandlot multiuse fi eld since there is none for
our community after we lost JJ Walker fi eld 20 years ago. If
the Gansevoort fi eld is turfed, the majority of our community
will be locked out — again. A multiuse fi eld is needed for
people who want to play catch, Frisbee, make snow people or
run their dogs during “off leash” hours, etc.
Off-leash hours have been amazingly successful where permitted,
mainly in large city parks, but we have smaller parks
south of Central Park. The entire city enjoys morning and evening
off-leash hours except for Downtown Manhattanites.
Lately, it has become popular to say it’s unsanitary for children
to play where dogs play. But, realistically, these are the
same pets that sleep in the beds of their owners — adults and
children alike — and which are kissed and loved intimately as
family members. Having a dog has proven to be healthy on all
levels, as well as aiding the prevention of childhood developed
allergies. Our ancestors lived with their animals for millennia
before disinfectant wipes.
Once, Gansevoort was the western end of a Native American
trail. Back then, the area was used for fi shing and planting,
but I am sure that folks relaxed and played there, too.
At the new Gansevoort park’s opening ceremony, it would
be fi tting for the peninsula to be blessed by Lenape tribe members.
They could rededicate it to nature — and the “wild,”
natural part of it could be regiven its last Lenape name: Sapohanikan.
Pacifi co is president, Dog Owners Action Committee
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