Letters to the Editor | Nov. 22, 2023

Domestic violence does not take a break for the holidays, and neither does the Women’s Center of Montgomery County, which is available 24 hours a day to provide support and services to those in an abusive relationship. This past week, we once again witnessed a violent episode of abuse in the stabbing outside of a Walmart in King of Prussia. What makes this episode notable was the way that bystanders came to the woman’s aid. I have always believed that it would take all of us, standing up, saying no more, to stop domestic violence. I am thankful for the people who came to her aid when her husband tried to end her life. The Women’s Center of Montgomery County, founded in 1976, has offices across the county. If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there is help. Call 800-773-2424 to reach us.

Kathy Rusch, medical advocate coordinator, Women’s Center of Montgomery County

Montana Bell makes a compelling case for eliminating or limiting solitary confinement in his Sunday op-ed. Clearly, it does not have value for rehabilitation, and it is terrible for the mental health of those subject to it. However, after I looked up Bell and learned about his crimes before his incarceration and his behaviors in jail prior to his sentencing, I find it incredible that he claims to have no idea as to why he was in solitary confinement. (This behavior includes threatening a prison social worker and assaults on other inmates.) At the time of his sentencing for murder (for shooting a woman in the head), he was awaiting trial for shooting nine other people in a separate incident. Bell is very articulate. I would very much like to hear some ideas he might have for how prison authorities can ensure the safety of prison staff and other inmates without using solitary confinement when they are dealing with someone who may continue to be a threat to others and who has nothing to lose.

Glynnis Gradwell, Philadelphia, glynnis.gradwell@gmail.com

I am a regular commuter to New York. While the Filbert Street bus station was basic, it served my needs. Also, it was directly across the street from Jefferson Station, a conveniently located option for trains to New York. The move to the “bus station” on Sixth and Market Streets was the pits, but Friday morning, when I arrived on a Peter Pan bus from New York, I found the new Spring Garden and Columbus Boulevard “bus station” to be a crime against civility. It’s a black eye for every leader of the city and all Philadelphians.

I observed international travelers dumbfounded and unable to get answers as to where they had landed. There was no signage for any of the bus lines. There were crowds milling around or running in a panic when they saw their bus across the street and down the block. Lots of questions could not be answered. Some bus drivers did not know how to get to the Spring Garden El stop.

For the record, my bus stopped at the curb nearest Columbus Boulevard, and I walked a long, open block to the El. One can imagine waiting for a bus with freezing rain blowing in from the Delaware River and no refuge. There is a dinky strip mall nearby, but I did not linger to check it out. Next week, I’ll go to New York on SEPTA/NJ Transit — from the indoor Jefferson Station, free to use a clean restroom or to buy a pastry and coffee if I wish.

Fred Allen Barfoot, Philadelphia, fredallenbarfoot@gmail.com

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