Shared from the 6/16/2021 Philadelphia Inquirer - Philly Edition eEdition

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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People ride motorbikes and ATVs around City Hall on South Broad Street. City Council recently passed a measure designed to crack down on the vehicles. JESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer

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The Christopher Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza is temporarily unboxed for inspection.

DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer

Educate rather than remove

Removing statues of controversial historical figures from public viewing perpetuates the narrative that nothing bad happened. Instead, I suggest that all statues continue to be accessible, however, with corrections made to the plaques identifying them. These bronzed and pedestaled characters could serve to enlighten everyone to both sides of the story. List their accomplishments. But also disclose the backstory. Describe the times in which they lived and the ugly realities of those times. Include whether they were enslavers or genocidal land grabbers. Use these statues as opportunities to build awareness and perspective. Critical race theory makes me uncomfortable. Our history is filled with flawed leaders. But isn’t our Constitution about moving toward “a more perfect union”? Clearly, we’re not there yet, nor were we there in the past. Let’s educate so we can move toward that lofty vision. Seize the moment. Always.

Beverly H. Moskowitz, Philadelphia

Swarthmore’s new program for military officers

As a graduate and honorary doctorate recipient from Swarthmore College, I am extraordinarily dismayed by Swarthmore president Val Smith’s decision to create a special subsidized path for military officers to work as professors at the college. Smith said that the program enhanced the college’s ability to exchange diverse views, “not shut them out.”

The opponents of this program, however, were not trying to shut out the voices of military officers. In fact, in a nation that spends more than 50% of its discretionary federal budget on defense, how could opponents shut out the voice of the military, which for decades has drowned out the voices who speak for diplomacy rather than war as a way for nations to settle disputes? The opponents were simply saying that the military already has a huge megaphone and doesn’t need a loudspeaker for its views to be heard.

John Braxton, Philadelphia, jwbraxton@gmail.com

SEPTA can reduce air pollution

Regarding “EPA’s tougher standards for a key air pollutant that could affect Philadelphia” (June 13), the most obvious solution is to get people out of their cars and into mass transit. SEPTA needs help from the city. It needs to be cleaner, safer, and with more frequent trips. It needs to be affordable. As a senior, I ride SEPTA frequently — for free. My daughter drives into Center City because she can’t afford the train fare. In order to clean up our air, the City of Philadelphia must prioritize financial assistance to SEPTA so that trains, buses, and subways will appeal to everyone. All buses should be electric. Parisians ride the Métro. Germans ride the U-Bahn. San Franciscans ride BART. Why don’t more Philadelphians ride SEPTA? The infrastructure is there. Let’s clean it up and make SEPTA the preferred way for everyone to get around the city. Reduce traffic gridlock and pollution.

Linda Baldwin, Philadelphia

Investigation into Hershey School

The joint Spotlight PA/ProPublica investigation into the Hershey School (“Rich School, Poor Students”) was frustrating to read. There is no real scandal here: The school takes extremely disadvantaged children — all of them low-income, three-fifths of them from families with histories of mental health problems, and one-third of them with an incarcerated family member — and by and large shapes them into successful students and responsible citizens. The report even acknowledges that the majority of Hershey graduates whom they interviewed spoke glowingly of the school, yet it proceeds to highlight a handful of outliers who are saddled with Hershey School debt. But why do they have debt? Because they were not able to uphold their end of the bargain: complete college, no debt. Giving disadvantaged kids a solid education and paying for their college tuition if they graduate is not a scandal. It’s a success story.

Thomas Koenig, Oreland

Surely there are many, many students who graduated from the Hershey School, went on to complete college, and are now leading successful, happy lives. Your article smacks of sensationalism by not mentioning all of the good things the school has done for so many young people. Nothing is perfect, but neither is it all bad.

Dolly Constable, Gradyville

Reinstate area votes in Congress

I request that you reinstate the Area Votes in Congress in your paper. This used to provide invaluable information that is otherwise difficult to find. TV, radio, and social media news platforms tend to cover the “breaking stories” and rarely, if ever, report the actual votes by our regional members of Congress. I wouldn’t mind seeing the voting records from the state legislature in Harrisburg also. Transparency, accountability, sunshine — we need more, not less.

Tracy Yeomans, Philadelphia

Root of exoneree lawsuits

Lawsuits resulting from police corruption and coercion of witnesses and confessions do not operate in a vacuum. Police supervisors and DA staff would be aware of ongoing racial profiling. In Brooklyn, N.Y., a retired detective repeatedly utilized fake witnesses to convict innocent Black men of murder and other crimes. In Chicago, a rogue detective was accused of using cattle prods to elicit false confessions in over 100 cases. The resultant lawsuit settlements cost well over $110 million. Where were his supervisors? I guess they were happy with the “closing stats.”

The bean counter in The Inquirer’s report lamented that each man who was exonerated by District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office was another possible lawsuit. The problem isn’t Krasner’s attempt to do the right thing; the problem is dirty cops and those farther up the chain who allow these travesties to occur.

Leonard Schwartz, Conshohocken

Behind the wheel during I-676 protest

Reading the accounts published on June 2, detailing the aftermath of social justice protestors attacked with rubber bullets and tear gas by Philadelphia police, was upsetting. The Inquirer spoke to eight people who were on I-676 that day. None of those eight was a driver. I am the mother of a teenager who was on the road and near the scene. While a demonstrator is celebrating, “We’re taking over the highway,” perhaps there should be a moment’s thought about the alarm a driver might experience, particularly a young or elderly person. They may not know what’s happening or wonder if they are safe as hundreds of people suddenly swarm a busy interstate highway. Nothing in driver’s ed prepares for this type of event. It would have been interesting for your reporter to seek out some of those folks. They may have trauma associated with I-676 as well.

Carolyn Hartman, Merion Station

NCI funding

As a cancer patient and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteer, I was heartened to see President Joe Biden include in his proposed budget a significant increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and dedicate resources to treat cancers and other illnesses.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) was not given an appropriate increase to meet demand. NCI-funded research has led to every major advancement in cancer treatment for the last 50 years. Many more lives could be saved with increased and sustained funding, so I urge Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey and Rep. Dwight Evans to increase this funding in a final 2022 budget. As a 27-year-old diagnosed with a rare subtype of ovarian cancer and handed a prognosis of 10 years, I don’t have the luxury of waiting. For someone like me, one year in delay is significant. Let’s not continue this delay. Let’s reverse it.

Lexi Mestas, Philadelphia, mestas.lexi@gmail.com

ATVs disturb the peace

Surprisingly, in the article about dirt bikes and ATVs, there is no mention about the unwelcome, discordant, and excessive noise emanating from these personal pleasure vehicles, even though they are “illegal to drive on city streets.” The noise invades the “mostly” quiet environment, especially on weekends and holidays, which is welcome for the urban resident. The riders of these vehicles gain pleasure from the disturbance they cause and have no regard for wakening babies, scaring the elderly, and sending a recurring shockwave for those who simply wish to have a quiet conversation or be left alone.

I suggest DA Krasner might gain useful information by first encouraging the vehicles to patrol his residential area for a few days. Perhaps the experience will pique his “imagination” as he opts to avoid applying the current law.

Stewart Bolno, Philadelphia, stewbolno@comcast.net

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