Safe streets
To The Editor:
Re “Silence=Death on Greenwich St.” (Talking Point by Charles Komanoff, June 20-26):
Charles Komanoff’s piece on Greenwich St.’s motoring mayhem struck a deep chord with me. My family lives in Morningside Heights, but his experience of being threatened and cut-off by aggressive motorists is our experience. My kids and I are regularly brushed back by fast turning motorists, who clearly can’t be bothered slowing down for a group of elementary school children and their parents. My kids thought I was overzealous about watching for dangerous drivers, when a week ago, we watched a car jump the curb a few yards away and drive down the sidewalk for a hundred yards until crashing into a tree.
Astonishingly, all the pedestrians on the crowded sidewalk were able to scatter without being struck. Good luck to Komanoff and the families crossing Greenwich St. They are fighting for parents and kids all over New York City.
John Kaehny
Winning the air war
To The Editor:
As readers may know, after a long frustrating battle neighbor-attorneys of Battery Park City and Friends of Hudson River Park have succeeded in greatly limiting the public nuisance of continual tourist flights atop our beautiful and supposedly peaceful esplanades and parks. The F.A.A. did not do one thing to stop these illegal flights.
These profiteering, low-flying, noisy, and extremely dangerous choppers are now to be legally limited in number gradually, and required to fly only over the middle of the Hudson River. We write to publically thank the attorneys for this landmark improvement to the quality of life in Downtown. Everyone is now asked to help with the enforcement.
Neighbors may visit BPC_Forum on yahoogroups, and helifreeNYC.org or saveweststreet Web pages for further information and the legal specifics.
We have our esplanades and parks back!
Alice Oviatt-Lawrence
No to the taxman
To The Editor:
Re “Taxman writeth again” (Letter by Tim Clark, June 20 – 26):
Mr. Clark’s gnawing obsession with the private business lives of street artists proves the point that he is not interested in solving the situation of overcrowding sidewalks. He is simply out to prosecute and harass artistsout of their constitutional rights. This tactic is nothing new.
Instead I propose a challenge to Mr. Clark. I ask that he and his small group actually meet with the artists, legal vendors, and veterans he is attacking so that the issues can be discussed in a logical manner. That is all we have asked from the other side since the beginning of Councilmember Alan Gerson’s first term. In fact Mr. Gerson set up a process of mediation that artists,legal vendors, veterans attended along with supporters who included building owners, shop keepers and neighbors. We attended each and every session.
The side represented by Mr. Clark never showed up. Not once. Instead, like Mr. Clark, they continued to personall attack artists and legal vendors fromafar over any issue they could find. The tax red herring is just the latest.
If Mr. Clark is really serious about finding resolution of the ongoing problems on the city sidewalks then let him and the members of his smallgroup step forward for once and deal honestly with the issue. If not then why would anyone ever open up their private business lives to such a manically hostile person out to wrongly exterminate our constitutional rights?
Lawrence White
To The Editor:
Tim Clark has either to “get a life” or a job at the Internal Revenue Service.
I am a resident of Soho 28 years and an artist/vendor for 3 years.
No private citizen has the right to demand any other citizen produce their tax records.
What possible motive or interest does he have to see tax records of Lawrence White, his friends or me, although I don’t know Mr. White? Harassment of artists?
If he wants to uncover tax evasion or tax fraud go after Enron or whomever. Street artists? How much “damage” could we possibly do to the deficit?
And you, Downtown Express, stop publishing stupid letters! (Except mine!)
Bonnie Lynn
Letters policy
Downtown Express welcomes letters to The Editor. They must include the writer’s first and last name, a phone number for confirmation purposes only, and any affiliation that relates directly to the letter’s subject matter. Letters should be less than 300 words. Downtown Express reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity, civility or libel reasons. Letters should be e-mailed to news@DowntownExpress.com or can be mailed to 145 Sixth Ave., N.Y., N.Y. 10013.
