A tremendous activist
To The Editor:
Re “Doris Corrigan, 87; Go-to activist was Chelsea” (obituary, Aug. 6):
I first met Doris in the 1970s through her work in the W. 20th St. Block Association but I really got to know her when I was running for Democratic district leader in 1982.
We were partners in so many ways, whether it was being founding members, and at various times officers, of the Chelsea Waterside Park Association, or developing and securing the Chelsea Plan. Then there was the time I told Doris that the city was making daffodil bulbs available free for block associations to plant, and she not only got them and planted them on 20th St., but she got the other block associations in the neighborhood to do the same. (I didn’t actually plant any bulbs myself, but I continue to enjoy the beauty when they come up every spring).
I was fortunate to serve as co-leader with Doris when she was elected female district leader in 1987. Doris was always a tremendous community activist and political leader — both as an advocate for causes and candidates she believed in, and as a technical expert who made sure the Democratic Party in Chelsea functioned seamlessly. Selfless, committed, fiery when necessary, energetic, thoughtful, a leader by example: That was our Doris.
Her passing is a tremendous loss to Chelsea, the entire 75th Assembly District, and personally for me. I have no doubt that she is organizing her angel colleagues in heaven.
Tom Duane
Made an indelible impact
To The Editor:
Re “Doris Corrigan, 87; Go-to activist was Chelsea” (obituary, Aug. 6):
I met Doris in 1988 when I started volunteering on Tom Duane’s then-nascent first campaign for City Council. Doris was in her second year as Democratic district leader and in full throttle as a driving force in Chelsea. She was a mentor to me when I become Tom’s volunteer coordinator on that campaign and I had many other opportunities to work with Doris on politics and policy over the years.
I am grateful that I was able to help Tom Schuler in caring for her in recent years as her memory first began to falter and then completely slipped away.
She made an indelible imprint on our neighborhood, and I will always remember her as a dynamic leader and generous friend.
Laura Morrison
On board with T.L.C.
To The Editor:
Re “N.Y.U. strips setback” (Scoopy’s Notebook, Aug. 13):
Terri Cude has been a remarkable community advocate. If your neighborhood is under siege, she is the person you want in the trenches with you. Terri is running for female district leader and I hope people will come out and support her in the Sept. 10 primary. Even though her opponent is good, Terri is better.
Terri Cude is a true voice of the people.
Annette Evans
No crusty sympathy
To The Editor:
Re “Crusty pit bulls gone wild; Man attacked protecting dog” (news article, Aug. 13):
My 14-year-old dog is dead. I was clear in my statements about not demonizing the homeless, the travelers, etc. I’m against dangerous dogs who kill.
I am a 64-year-old woman who has lived in the East Village for nearly 50 years, and has been supportive of the homeless and even the travelers, but now my dog is dead. I grew up in San Francisco where we all loved the hippies until they turned to meth and heroin.
I’m not sure why the travelers and their dogs need to live in front of my building. Many of them I know. Many of them are intelligent. Why live on the street with dogs that are not exercised or always treated well? These are the voluntary homeless, which makes a joke out of the truly homeless, who are rarely white, do not have cell phones and do not have pit bulls. My sympathy for them has evaporated.
These crusties are smart and could contribute positively to our community and our world, but instead they just sit there and beg for money with their dogs, and make the community a cesspool. They are elite white begging jerks. Do they contribute anything? They could be a force for good, but the majority are just drug users. My dog is dead.
Roberta Bayley
Fear and loathing in E.V.
To The Editor:
Re “Crusty pit bulls gone wild; Man attacked protecting dog” (news article, Aug. 13):
The horror my family went through because of the crusties and their pits is not an isolated case. Another man was bitten the night before Ed was bitten, two blocks north on Sixth St. and Second Ave.
The crusties are using the system and now we are afraid to walk the streets — we anxiously turn every corner to see if there is a pit with them. We go to work, pay taxes, so that they can live off of us. That is not a lifestyle — it is free riding. Not to mention the drugs and alcohol and the public bathrooms they turned the streets into. Is this what New York City stands for these days?
The parks are being polluted. They are dangerous and unsightly, the air stinks. I have to step over the crusties on my way to work. If they want to live as free souls, let them camp out in the woods.
Why do they beg? Illegal immigrants who barely speak English work and support their families, and the crusties beg from you and me? They make our neighborhoods unliveable and no one can do anything.
There is a fine line between democracy, human rights and anarchy. We have crossed it and it will take blood on the streets before we understand what really is happening. Shame on what the American symbol of freedom has become — the crusties, their pits and their piss.
Valentina Vassilev
Doesn’t trust pit bulls
To The Editor:
Re “Famed punk photog’s dog dies after attack by big ‘crusty’ pit bull” (news article, Aug. 6):
Oh Roberta, I am so sorry to hear about Sidney.
I have friends who have sweet pit bulls. I also saw a couple of years back a pit bull go crazy and attack and kill a small poodle in the Washington Square dog run — where pits were supposed to be banned. I have an eight-pound poodle, 14 years old, so it really shook me up.
One time when I complained about seeing a pit in the dog run, I was accused of being a troublemaker and was told that their pit would never hurt anyone.
I have never trusted Mr. Butter around any pit, friend or not. They seem to get freaked by small dogs.
I think the idea of a person living on the streets having a pit troubles me. This breed is known for its aggression. And a person living on the streets could find themselves in all kinds of potentially hostile environments, and that is nowhere to have a pit.
So sorry this has happened to you.
Jim Fouratt
Something to chew on
To The Editor:
Re “Crusty pit bulls gone wild; Man attacked protecting dog” (news article, Aug. 13):
This is probably a good time to ask if Governor Cuomo is going to sign the “Dining with Dogs” bill into law.
Animal-centric legislators, like your assemblymembers, magically think that in a scenario with multiple dogs at an outdoor cafe, with food present, the dogs will simply act like human beings, and never lunge at each other like they do on the sidewalks.
This will end badly unless the governor displays some much-needed common sense.
Patrick Shields
Baby birds victims, too
To The Editor:
Re “Feathery felony in park as perps net hundreds of pigeons” (news article, July 30):
Unfortunately, there is a sad aspect to the recent abduction of hundreds of pigeons from Washington Square Park that has not been touched upon. Every evening after feeding on bird food provided by kindhearted bird fanciers, such as Paul the Pigeon Man, many pigeons flew off to their nests in nearby buildings where they regurgitated the food to feed baby pigeons anxiously awaiting them. Who will feed the babies now?
The crime committed by the heartless pigeon-nappers is compounded by its crippling effects on a whole new generation of Washington Square Park pigeons.
For shame!
Vahe A. Tiryakian
Lighting is next project
To The Editor:
Re “A daring expedition: To the clock atop Ol’ Jeff” (Flashback, Aug. 6):
What a delight to read Yannic Rack’s retelling of the saving of the Jefferson Market Courthouse through the creative, unflagging efforts of beloved Margot Gayle. Save it she did, starting with that clock, and she joined our committee when we worked to bring the 1851 bell, Ol’ Jeff, back to life in 1997.
Now, very likely in her memory, we want to relight the entire building starting with that magnificent tower where Ol’ Jeff hangs. We’re really excited. Modern lighting will save money and could restore this treasure to its pre-eminent status of beauty. In 1885 a panel, sponsored by the American Architect and Building News, voted the courthouse 5th Most Beautiful Building in America.
We have feelers out for a lighting company to help us out with the plans and execution. It’s a long journey starting with the New York Public Library, the Landmarks Preservation Commission and Community Board 2. Nothing’s easy, but we think it’s worth the struggle.
Cynthia Crane
Crane is chairperson, Friends of the Jefferson Market Library Bell
M.T.A. is trashing us
To The Editor:
Garbage cans are a wonderful invention. They have existed since time immemorial. They make it easier for people to dispose of trash, and thus, they contribute to cleanliness and health.
In 2011, for reasons unknown, the M.T.A. removed all garbage cans from the N and R station at Eighth St. and Broadway. It did so from a second station, as well: Main St. in Queens. The M.T.A. apparently trusted subway riders to keep their litter until they reached a station with trash cans, or until they got out of the subway.
Mysteriously, the plan worked for a while. It is hard to imagine why it should have been effective, but on Jan. 27, 2014, the M.TA. announced that it would expand the program. Joe Leader, senior vice president of the M.T.A.’s Department of Subways, said, “The results have been for the most part very positive and we have seen some behavioral changes by riders.”
Subway riders are responsible and try to be clean and helpful. Most of them held on to their litter. It was an inconvenience. It is so very much easier to dump your garbage into a convenient trash can. Nevertheless, many people put up with the inconvenience.
Consequently, the M.T.A. increased the inconvenience. They removed trash bins from 29 additional stations, mainly on the J and M lines. It was too much for subway riders. Littering increased. It increased even where there were convenient garbage cans. Once people get into the habit of dropping their garbage on the platform, they do so even if there is a convenient alternative.
When I get off the N or R train at the Eighth St. station, I often see litter or even uneaten food on the benches. This is more common on the Downtown side in the evening. There are also lots of loose scraps of paper on the floor after one passes the turnstiles but before one starts climbing up the steps. Riders who have been carrying their trash with them just give up when they see no relief when they finally arrive at their destination.
The M.T.A. should be happy to make life easier for its riders. It should take advantage of the wonderful, historic invention that our remote ancestors gave us. Please, M.T.A., bring back the trash bins.
George Jochnowitz
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