Letters to the Editor | March 29, 2023

Philadelphia City Council voted to create the position of chief public safety director. The upcoming May primary election will provide voters with the opportunity to amend the Home Rule Charter in order to create this position. All the candidates for mayor have given prominence to the issues of public safety, crime, and violence in our city. It is incumbent upon all candidates to let the voters know, before the May primary, what they think of Council’s proposal. All candidates should be called upon to indicate whether they think the proposed new position is a good idea, and they should all be required to explain their answers. Whether or not one agrees with Council’s vote (and I do not), the proposal now provides an important bellwether to help voters better understand the mayoral candidates’ strategies regarding public safety, crime, and violence. The candidates owe the voters their clear and honest views. In fact, I would go so far as to say that failure to articulate an opinion on Council’s proposal should be considered disqualifying.

Andrew Gelber, Philadelphia

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy promised, and House Republicans recently passed, a Parents Bill of Rights. There were some things missing from the legislation. Any such bill should provide parents a guarantee that their children won’t go to bed hungry or that their children will not die as a result of gun violence, which is currently the leading cause of death for those under 18. These rights are justly due to every parent.

Catherine Poynton, Havertown

To the mothers of young Black and brown children, did you read Helen Ubiñas’ column, “516,” with the same pain, heartache, and conviction that I felt? The publication of the names attached to the number representing a murder victim is something. Profound even. Too often, when a Black or brown person is shot or fatally wounded, the victim is reported as unidentified and casually mentioned in a metro brief, resulting in about a paragraph of scant details. Just as often, when the victim is not a person of color, the article is front-page news, with several stories about a promising life lost, and a call to action. Violence is so prevalent in our communities that a tiny brief of another senseless killing might seem warranted to some. But why are so many of our young people falling to the wayside? We have to save our babies. Keep them busy, follow up on their studies, know who their friends are, and where they are at all times. My baby boy is now a teen, trying to give me the business and rebelling. But my sun (yes, my son is my sun) is worth it and deserves a fighting chance. It may take a village, but it starts at home. Invest the extra effort. Their lives literally depend on it.

K. Mayes, Philadelphia

The absence of almost any text in Sunday’s Opinion section spoke eloquently and powerfully about the heartbreak and madness of the out-of-control violence in our city. But it occurs to me that all of those lost to this homicide epidemic deserve more than their names in print. The names of those men, women, and children — loved ones, lost ones — should be spoken aloud, clearly and firmly, in a public forum like City Hall. Much as it happens, for instance, at ground zero on the anniversary of 9/11 or has happened on the date of the Oklahoma City bombing. Surely that’s the least we can do to let their grieving family and friends know that we do not forget them.

Beth Z. Palubinsky, Philadelphia

According to the census, Washington, D.C., has more than 650,000 residents who are not represented in the Senate or the House of Representatives. Wyoming and Vermont have fewer inhabitants yet have two senators and a representative each. Article I Section 8 Clause 17 of the Constitution states that the federal government would be in charge of the district. At the time this was drafted, few foresaw a full-time national government or a large full-time city of free people. In 1961, citizens of Washington gained the right to cast votes for president with the 23rd Amendment. The city was also given a nonvoting representative and a “shadow” senator.

Washingtonians pay a higher percentage of their income in federal taxes than any other state or territory and yet have no representation in our legislative bodies. Some Republicans are suggesting Retrocession (which gave Alexandria County to Virginia in 1847) as a solution. Most Democrats feel it would be fairer to give Washington statehood, and its people true representation, as their interests are not necessarily aligned with the majority of Virginians. Either way, our Founding Fathers did not foresee 650,000 people bereft of representation.

Gloria Andersen, Voorhees, amgovern@aol.com

Another tragedy, this time unfolding in Nashville, Tenn., with more children dying at the hands of a mass shooter while in school. I am sure that many thoughts and prayers will be offered by those with the power to stop the rising tide of violence if only they would stop groveling to the gun lobby. It isn’t going to happen. The gun lobby and its untrue conspiracy theory that “They’ll take your guns away” will win out. Again. What is it going to take? How bad does it have to get before our elected officials take action to restrict semiautomatic weapons, extended magazines, insufficient background checks, and out-of-state purchase loopholes? I am a gun owner. I am mentally sound, careful with my weapons, and purchased them legally with a background check, skimpy as it was. We can’t say that about many of the weapons and their owners in our city and others across the land. I am tired of thoughts and prayers that mean nothing. I want my elected officials to know that I want action before this happens yet again.

Eileen O’Sullivan, Philadelphia

As a Sixers basketball fan, I have been closely following the articles on the team’s proposed downtown arena. On March 16, it was reported that a group of Chinatown businesses opposed the arena in their neighborhood. On March 23, with a promise that 40% of arena concessions will be run by Black-owned businesses, a group of African American clergy voiced their support for the Sixers’ proposal. I wonder if the Sixers are intentionally employing a “divide and conquer” approach that pits two underserved communities against each other. Years of academic research conclude that sports arenas rarely produce long-standing economic gains for their communities. We look to sports teams to unify our city and region and trust that the Sixers can do better.

Susan White, Havertown, sadamswhite@gmail.com

One of the stated benefits of the plan to cap the Vine Street Expressway is the reconnection of the north and south sections of Chinatown, which was bifurcated by the expressway when it was rammed through Chinatown many years ago. Since funding for this project is uncertain, one way to ensure its completion would be to condition the construction of the 76ers arena on the capping of the expressway. Capping would mitigate the impact of the arena on Chinatown more than anything else that the developers, or the city, could possibly offer, if the real estate created by the cap is devoted to the needs of Chinatown.

Davis Dure, Philadelphia

In a massive statement of lack of confidence in his vice president, President Joe Biden reportedly told confidantes that one reason he will run again is that he has real doubts that Kamala Harris can beat Donald Trump. Harris would be the presumptive nominee if Biden decides not to run. While this doesn’t say much about Biden’s perception of his VP’s electoral appeal, is he wrong? Harris’ favorability polls have consistently been low, and lower than those of Biden himself. An aging Biden or an unpopular Harris vs. a pathological, immoral liar. Is this really the best our political system has to offer us?

Ken Derow, Swarthmore

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