Pillow-fight facts, not fluff
To The Editor:
Re “Hoylman not ‘down’ with no-permit pillow fight in Wash. Sq. Pk.” (news article, March 31):
Thanks to Colin Mixson for his fair reporting on this issue. First, can we all have a laugh at how absurd all this is? Are you laughing? Good. Next let’s look at some numbers:
The average person pillow fights for just 15 minutes.
There are 20,000 children in the New York City shelter system.
Our goal this year was to collect 2,000 gently used pillows.
Some children in shelters sleep on folded-up dirty clothes.
If 2,000 people grabbed pillows at Sleepy’s for this event and then donated them, that’s new, high-quality pillows for 10 percent of all children in the city’s shelters, and $6,000 to the charity that helps these kids get basics, like toothpaste and soap.
With all due respect to state Senator Brad Hoylman, we can’t let the cynicism of Albany cloud the reality that children in New York City shelters do not get the basics they need. The pillow fight is part of a massive effort by hundreds of charities to relieve this.
Nikki Sparks
Sparks is a leader, Urban Playground Movement
Honored to know Balzac
To The Editor:
Re “Sweating the loss of Coles gym, my workout haven” (talking point, by Kathryn Adisman, March 24):
Coles opened on my first day at N.Y.U. Having transferred from an A.C.C. school in the South, Coles always seemed small and dark. But I will miss one thing — Bill Balzac. He’s a really great guy and seemed to work there forever. I only wish I could find him now.
Ralph Lewis
No ‘tricky street art,’ please!
To The Editor:
Re “Triangle memorial is a wedge issue in Village” (news article, March 31):
Caterina Maltese was 38. Roserio and Lucia were her daughters. The three of them perished in the tragic Triangle Fire. They and the other 143 victims are buried in 16 different cemeteries. This landmarked building site is where they are all honored on the anniversary of the fire every year.
To complete this annual tribute we must have a dignified list of their names readable and at eye level. The proposed tricky street art with the names falling down in reflection is a dishonor to these young lives. R.I.P.
Lara Gregor
Is this Bangladesh?
To The Editor:
Re “Triangle memorial is a wedge issue in Village” (news article, March 31):
The speech by the president of the memorial group ended with a rousing, “We will change the world.” How does that describe a tribute to the victims of the fire?
Ann Conway
It’s more about the artists
To The Editor:
Re “Triangle memorial is a wedge issue in Village” (news article, March 31):
The coalition made no effort to work with the community in developing plans for a memorial. What they are proposing is more of a personal statement by the artists than a suitable memorial for the victims.
Howard Negrin
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