Letters to the Editor | March 18, 2024

Between my wife and I, we have five degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. I am a third-generation Penn grad. Together, we spent 10 years on campus and in University City. It was a vibrant, intellectually stimulating place. A veritable free flow of opinions and ideas, from all kinds of different perspectives and people. It made me smarter (my wife was already pretty smart), more receptive to new ideas, cultures, technologies — the whole shebang. It was a great place to be.

We loved it at Penn, and if possible, we wanted our children to attend. Not anymore. What is going on at Penn is a disgrace. Donors dictating policy, literature conferences being condemned because some political ideas run counter to the majority (i.e., donors), students and faculty put on quasi-watch lists. It is embarrassing. There is a nasty war going on, and students are not allowed to protest. Seriously? The absolute worst is the fact that the university wants to hand over the names of faculty and students to House Republicans conducting their version of the McCarthy hearings. Shame on Penn.

David Miller, Tampa, Fla., hagendolch@icloud.com

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s budget address emphasized public safety. She declared the police will enforce the law — except when the city’s Driving Equality Act says they can’t. The mayor should immediately take steps to revoke this ill-conceived law. Although the measure was passed because some violations have a disparate impact on minorities, it handcuffs the police who are trying their best to stop the shootings, which are largely concentrated in minority communities.

The police have always used selective enforcement. A good example of this is the parking situation in South Philadelphia, which wouldn’t be tolerated in any other part of the city. But because of the unique issues there, the police don’t rigidly enforce every parking regulation. One tool the police can use is stricter enforcement of the law in those parts of the city where gun violence is especially high. If the mayor really wants law enforcement and better protections for the minority communities in this city, she should start by seeking the repeal of the Driving Equality Act. The trade-off might be more traffic tickets but fewer shootings. A trade-off is well worth having.

Charles Brennan, retired, deputy police commissioner, Philadelphia Police Department

Concerning the closing of the Wawa store at 20th and Hamilton Streets, I say it’s about time. I’ve lived across the street from the location for 17 years. The noise from car radios parked outside and on nearby streets — which occurred throughout the night (the store was open 24/7 until recently), and especially on weekends — is deafening. People screaming at each other. Arguments and fistfights are common. The aggressive panhandlers were just that — aggressive.

Inside, the Wawa was dirty. Outside, the trash bins were always overflowing, even after they were replaced by larger containers after neighbor complaints. Delivery trailers arrive at any given hour of the day or night sounding their air horns. I once counted an air horn blown 36 times. Trucks often block Hamilton Street until the driver unloads. People then blow their horns in desperation, and arguments between drivers ensue. And we have to listen to all of it while trying to watch TV, console a sleeping baby, calm a pet, or simply try and get some sleep. On several occasions, I contacted the trucking company hired by Wawa to make these deliveries, with no result.

Area residents complained to Wawa more times than I can count, contrary to what was reported in the article. We worked with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, the police department, the store’s landlord, and had Zoom meetings with Wawa reps, but nothing came out of these meetings. I look forward to Chase Bank or any business occupying the space, just so it isn’t Wawa.

Vaughn Cook, Philadelphia

Charlottesville, Va. August 2017. Throngs marching with lit torches in the Unite the Right rally chant, “Jews will not replace us.” Donald Trump’s response? There were “very fine people on both sides.” Fast-forward. We have then-White House chief of staff John Kelly stating that, in his presence, Trump opined that “Hitler did a lot of good things.” As appalling as those sentiments are, what is even worse is the silence of Trump’s supporters in the face of such comments — or the active agreement with them — extending to his sycophants in Congress. As for those who remain silent, there is an old Latin maxim: Qui tacet consentire videtur (silence gives consent). In light of, or perhaps I should say, the darkness of such consent, these supporters give their tacit approval to Trump’s plans for a second term, which include persecution of his political opponents and critics, and mass detention centers for immigrants. What is a “mass detention center” if not a euphemism for a concentration camp? After all, Hitler had some good ideas. Be afraid, America. Be very afraid.

Gary Kaplan, Warwick

It was recently announced that the 40-plus year tradition of a Thanksgiving football game between Father Judge and Abraham Lincoln High Schools has been canceled. Several reasons for the demise have been mentioned, but it appears that concerns for the security and safety of players, officials, coaches, and spectators are the overwhelming factors.

Like the shuttering of businesses in many places around the country and in Philadelphia, long-standing activities and traditions are being ended because of failings in law enforcement by those in charge. Ineffective district attorneys — e.g., Larry Krasner, Alvin Bragg, George Gascon, etc. — serve to perpetuate crime instead of reducing it through appropriate prosecution of bad actors. These progressive policies are a bane to an orderly society.

It’s most illuminating to listen to legal statisticians cite the reduction in crime in the U.S. over the past few years. But, of course, any criminal activity that’s not prosecuted will not appear in the data. For instance, the non-prosecution of shoplifting is not identified nor counted in many locales. Presumably, school officials are now succumbing to inaction through cancellation. As an alumnus of Father Judge High School and a former neighbor of many Lincoln High School students, I’m quite saddened by the end of this football tradition.

Ron Smith, Brigantine, ronaldjsmithsr@comcast.net

As President Joe Biden tours the country following his State of the Union address, many Americans are wondering what vision he has for our nation. Stumping in Pennsylvania recently, the president discussed some important topics. Still, he seemed to forget one issue that is critical for our state: energy. Pennsylvania is a proud energy leader, and the more than 423,000 workers supported by natural gas and oil should be a top priority for anyone campaigning here.

More broadly, leaders in Washington should acknowledge the Keystone State’s natural gas and oil workers as they innovate and secure our energy future. Following that, members of Congress and the Biden administration should reverse policies that lengthen review processes for infrastructure projects, including the pause on new and pending liquefied natural gas export permits, create impossible-to-meet standards for our power plants, and limit consumer choice for vehicles. Bottom line: It’s long past time for the president to recognize natural gas and oil as the foundation of our economy in Pennsylvania and across America.

Stephanie Catarino Wissman, executive director, American Petroleum Institute Pennsylvania, Harrisburg

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