What to do about a person camped on the street?
Manhattan: I am writing to express my concern about a longstanding issue in our neighborhood that has remained unresolved for years. A loiterer has been stationed intermittently on Fifth Ave. and 14th St., surrounded by numerous bags of bottles, cans, personal belongings and garbage. This situation not only affects the aesthetic appeal of our community but also raises concerns about public health and safety.
While I sympathize with anyone who may be experiencing hardships and living on the street (photo), the accumulation of waste has led to an increase in pests, unpleasant odors and even obstructed sidewalks. I, along with other residents and local businesses, have voiced frustrations by calling 311 and alerting police and local officials, but despite these complaints, the problem persists.
I believe the solution requires a compassionate yet firm approach. Authorities and community organizations should coordinate to provide support for the individual, ensuring access to resources like shelter and mental health services while addressing the environmental and safety concerns. At the same time, enforcement of city ordinances regarding loitering and waste management must be a priority.
Our neighborhood deserves to be a clean and welcoming space for all. Perhaps reporting by your newspaper will urge city officials and community leaders to take immediate action to resolve this issue for the benefit of everyone involved and will be more impactful than the voices of those directly affected. Marjorie Sussman
Not neighborly
Brooklyn: The Daily News Editorial Board bemoans the roadway dining hiatus as “a repurposing of curbside space from car storage into places for people to sit, eat, and enjoy themselves” and “a real step forward for neighborhoods” (“Eat your heart out, outside,” editorial, Nov. 29). What does the Daily News ignore completely? The New Yorkers who actually live in the neighborhoods with the nonstop late-night noise of roadway dining! We’re the residents who live here, who welcome a respite from the restaurant owners who make money and from the noisy, raucous diners who party hearty on our streets and don’t give a damn that they’re screaming 50 feet away from our kids’ bedroom windows at 11 p.m. God bless this eminently reasonable regulation for temporarily restoring our quality of life. Vicky Vossen
Lethal rejection
Manhattan: To Voicer Patrice Perticone: New York State should not join in the killing by bringing back the death penalty. It is barbarism, plain and simple. America has made so much progress as a civilized society, let’s not go back. Better to go after cowardly elected officials responsible for our messed up court system. Neil Pollicino
Uncaring culture
Middle Island, L.I.: After reading “Fed takeover of jails seen likely” (Nov. 28), my question is what would the feds do differently? How are the jails currently dealing with assaults on other people in custody and on staff? What is their staffing situation like? Honestly, I am sure they are facing the same issues as Rikers Island. Where does the city stand with the building of borough-based facilities? Ultimately, there is no easy fix, and to get to the root of the issue, you have to start with a clean slate and managers who want to see real change — with the exception of Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie and First Deputy Commissioner Francis Torres. These people are just here for a paycheck and have no real sense of how to get anything under control, but the receivership won’t be effective like these people think it will be. Alex Turner
Unforgivable
Stratford, Conn.: Did I miss something here? On the day professors discussed financial responsibility, what, were you people sleeping off a kegger? Listen up, deadbeats: You take out a loan, you get money that you promise to pay back. Take your faces out of your iPhones and repeat that a few times. What happens when all these knuckleheads take out car loans and mortgages? Will they ask the government to please, please forgive these loans? “Wahhh, I can’t pay them back! Call the wambulance!” Wow, what a generation poised to take over everything when the Baby Boomers leave this place. Good luck. Peter Sulzicki
Wait and see
Bronx: God bless President Biden as he steps down. He is still thinking about Americans. While Donald Trump prepares for a reign of revenge, a staff of incompetent cabinet leaders and tariffs that will bring on inflation like we have never seen, Biden is seeking to include the life-saving drug Ozempic to be covered under Medicare and Medicaid. This drug would cost $1,000 a month for the uninsured. Forty-three percent of Americans suffer from obesity, and this drug will save millions of lives. I pray to God that Biden succeeds as he did with insulin prices, which helped millions of Americans. America has seen a president of all people, and now you have chosen Trump, a president for only himself. I am 86 and well off. He can’t hurt me, but millions will soon feel the pain. Gilbert M. Lane
Free bird
Staten Island: The biggest freakin’ turkey of them all got pardoned this year. Victor R. Stanwick
Still sore
San Francisco: We live in a democracy. And in a democracy, we vote, we count the votes and then we declare a winner. Maybe there are a few lawsuits and discrepancies, but by Dec. 17, when the electors meet and vote, it is over. But this was not the case in 2020. One side insisted that Democrats had cheated, somehow rigged the election and committed mass voter fraud, and to this day, still hold that this is true without any legitimate, legal, stands-up-in-court evidence. So, just think about this for a minute. No one, even four years later, has produced any legal proof of this alleged theft. So, if Democrats were successful in stealing the 2020 election as accused, why not do it again in 2024? Because it never happened in the first place. The Big Lie is, and always has been, exactly that — a big lie. Jimmy Layton
National mythology
Manhattan: A recent writer extolled “America’s history of tolerance and acceptance” (op-ed, Nov. 28). He said we should thank some mythical entity (God) for whatever blessings we have. I demur — vehemently. George Washington is quoted as giving “bigotry no sanction.” He was a racist and a slave owner. Nine of the next 11 presidents owned slaves. My country is filled with bigots and fascists and they are my enemies. This country is not, and never was, a democracy. Only fools and liars claim otherwise. Millions of degenerates who voted for Trump will learn that as you sow, so shall you reap. They’ll begin to pay at the supermarket and end with a dictatorship. May history have mercy on their souls. Daniel Jean Lipsman
Health-centered
Manhattan: I was bummed when the unrivaled Gracias Home Store on Broadway and W. 67th St. closed shop. The building proprietors then took the next couple of years to gut and redo the space. Near the end of the reconstruction, I asked one of the hardhats what was planned to be in there. “Some New York University health center,” he answered. I thought the busy gent was placating a curious passerby. Recently, tall signs went up covering the wide windows that read: “NYU Langone Health. OPENING SOON.” How great is that? The health center, one hopes, will certainly be a welcome addition to the Upper West Side, with their comprehensive approach to healing in these perilous times that might benefit a senior — and everyone else in the neighborhood. James A. Fragale
Pissed at protest
Delray Beach, Fla.: So, the lowlife anti-Israel protesters who disrupted the Thanksgiving Day Parade should all be charged with a felony so when they apply for a job or are not allowed to vote anymore, maybe that would change their tune. As we all know, this mockery of the laws is nothing new in New York State. The gutless politicians who refuse to change the laws do not care about the hard-working citizens in New York. One day, something bad will happen with these protests, and let me ask you: Who are you going to call? Ghostbusters!? Manny Agostini