Letters to the Editor | April 21, 2023

I was happy to see that The Inquirer reported on the House Judiciary Committee hearing in New York this week. I was equally disappointed that most of the article dealt with Democrats’ objections to the hearing. No mention was made of the agonizing testimonies of crime victims and victims’ families that have suffered under Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s lax violent crime enforcement. No mention was made of the lack of compassion displayed by the Democratic representatives to their plight — calling them political “pawns” of the GOP. This is insulting to those who have suffered and should be beneath the dignity that we expect from our elected officials. If this hearing was politically motivated, so was the prosecution of Donald Trump. We need a lot less politics and more compassion for our fellow citizens.

Mark Fenstermaker, Warminster

As a longtime public school parent, teacher activist, and school administrator in Philadelphia public schools, I regularly scrutinize our public leaders in the fight for better schools. When you printed an editorial cartoon that juxtaposes Helen Gym’s history of support for public schools with the fact that she supported a Chinatown charter, you got it very wrong. First, for 30 years Gym has problem-solved for our schools. In my public school, she stood with us when we found asbestos, fought for more funding, and spoke up about school inequities. She accompanied us to Harrisburg, and she continually rallied for all the children of our city. She helped to start a school for immigrant children when the city and the School District were too slow to meet their needs. Is that your criticism of her?

Cindy Farlino, former principal, Meredith Elementary School, Philadelphia

For many years, Asian immigrant parents in Chinatown and other parts of Philadelphia consistently sought support from the Philadelphia School District for the needs of their school-age children. Little was forthcoming from the district, and support was erratic, at best. In the face of that response, community activists, including Helen Gym, moved forward to develop a charter school. Eighteen years after its founding, the Folk ArtsCultural Treasures Charter School is now regarded as one of the best K-8 schools in the city. FACTS was one specific educational response to an underserved community and its particular needs at a given moment. This charter is not a profit-making enterprise, not a philanthropic project, not part of a master plan to remake the city’s schools, nor does it seek to undermine public education. Quite the contrary. FACTS is wholly committed to public education and is a unionized, publicly supported school. Its supporters know that charter schools are not a magic solution to the city’s educational problems, far from it. Monday’s editorial cartoon lacks this important historical context and just adds to the campaign distortions and the noise.

Masaru Edmund Nakawatase, Philadelphia

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