Letters: ON ELECTION EVE, BLASTING UNCARING, MISGUIDED CITY POLS

WHERE'S ALL our so-called minority leadership in the positions of authority in this city? I grew up in South Philly, my mother is black, and the one thing I'm proud to say is that we are represented in local and state government.

That being said, where are the results? Why is this city no safer? Now, if we had a plethora of white faces in these same positions of authority, we'd be screaming that they "don't care" about the bad minority neighborhoods because they "can't relate." Guess who else can't relate? These elitist African-Americans who roll into the bad neighborhoods and speak to disenfranchised minorities when it's time to stump for votes, only to ignore these same places once they take office. They go from the packed church in North Philly pre-election to Del Friscos and a bunch of white faces after the election. There are a few, who are dedicated to improving this city for those most in need, but far too many running for state rep, city council and even judge just see this as a stepping stone to bigger things and not to serve the public. We need to vote these people out. There is a "class warfare" with minorities, whether they want to admit it or not. We have upper-class minorities who want nothing to do with those who don't have enough zeros in their bank accounts, and some of these elitists are on TV telling voting bases how much they "care about their problems." Government can't cure all our woes, but if the very people we put in place to assist us could care less about us, what's the point? Think about this as the next election comes around. And the next time one of these candidates stops by your neighborhood stumping for votes, ask him/her when the next time he/she will be back after he/she is elected.

Paul Smith

Philadelphia

I'm not sure why I expect more from our City Council members - maybe it's just ignorance on my part. To hear Curtis Jones Jr. talk about removing a homeowner's right to defend his home and his right to defend himself because of an incident that happened in Florida is ridiculous. Jones is basing his appeal on Gov. Corbett's "castle doctrine" on the ground that there are copycats out there everywhere - with no facts to back his ridiculous claim. Jones is also basing this appeal on what NBC has now admitted as an "error in the production process." Statics show that homicides and home burglaries are down, according to the police website, since the inception of the "castle doctrine." If Council members want to make a real effort to control gun violence in Philadelphia, they should support Commissioner Ramsey's petition to the White House.

Warren Nelson

Philadelphia