Letters to the Editor | Aug. 29, 2023

In Jacksonville, Fla., three African Americans were murdered at a Dollar Store simply because they were Black. This follows racially motivated mass shootings in recent years at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., and a church in Charleston, S.C. Antisemitic attacks are on the rise and include the largest mass slaughter of Jews in America at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Similar attacks target Muslims, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community. Let’s call it what it is: terrorism. When politicians discuss freedom, they miss the point. Less restrictive gun laws make the target less free. Unrestricted content on social media sites run by billionaires encourages paranoia and anxiety and likely leads to violence. How does that free us? We need a conversation and action on the violence and harm we are encouraging. We need to stand in the way of homegrown terrorism.

Elliott Miller, Bala Cynwyd

In the recent Inquirer article about how a liquefied natural gas facility could bring millions to the bankrupt city of Chester, Toby Rice, a member of the state-appointed Philadelphia LNG task force, said that protesters against the project were “so focused on the environmental and safety issues that they were ignoring the economic opportunity.” Right. Sort of like if I’m attacked by a swarm of bees and I am so focused on my own health and safety that I ignore the “honey-making opportunity.” I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Rice wouldn’t want an LNG facility in his neighborhood, despite the economic opportunity.

Louis Greenstein, Pleasantville, louisgreenstein@gmail.com

In response to objections to the proposed Sixers Market Street East arena from the neighboring Chinatown community and others, groups with shorter-term financial interests have come forward. These include the Building Trades Association, which supports this project by developer David Adelman and the other Sixers owners. The unions offer support due to the (temporary) jobs provided. Opposition to the project includes Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron. She offered her usual succinct critique of the project, even before a 20-floor tower (with only 20% affordable housing) was proposed to top the arena.

More recently, the Design Advocacy Group — which advocates for design quality, preservation, and the physical development of Philadelphia — provided coherent objections to the proposal. Perhaps it should not be surprising that the city of Philadelphia has accepted the offer from the Sixers to fund an evaluation of the project. I trust that Mayor Jim Kenney, (likely mayor) Cherelle Parker, and City Council will correctly decide this issue and take the Sixers-funded evaluation with a grain of salt. If the Sixers wish to leave the Stadium Complex, other locations have been proposed. Convincing arguments have been made against the arena proposal by many groups and individuals. Chinatown and its interests here should be paramount, and its overwhelming objections alone should dictate that this project be abandoned.

Landis W. Doner, Wyndmoor, islanderdon@gmail.com

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