Cartoon by Jim Meadows
Hey, T&V, watch your language
Re: “Man drops pants, pees in view of kids across from PS 116,” T&V, Dec. 29, 2016
I was disturbed to read about a homeless man openly urinating in front of school children in the neighborhood this week.
But I was also disturbed to see you characterize this sick person as a “bum.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen that label used by a reputable journalist.
Labels like that reduce the problem to two-dimensional, black and white thinking, them versus us, which does nothing to resolve the problem the community is facing, and only further marginalizes a desperate, untreated population.
I hope in the future you’ll commit to raising our understanding of complex problems in the community through language that more accurately reflects the true nature of the problem, and the people involved.
Name withheld, ST
Returning home via Town & Village
Sir:
Yes, folks approve when a neighbor praises a USPS mail carrier for her community awareness (Ruth Metz’s letter to the editor, T&V, Dec. 15, 2016).
Such praise awakens memories of old friends of old-timers like me. My husband, a newly returned veteran of World War II, was an “original” tenant of a Stuy Town rent-controlled apartment.
I remember tapping the kitchen pipes, sending Morse Code messages to my neighbors who shared babysitting and grocery shopping with me. Town & Village captured those halcyon days of trust and good will. Everything is different today!
Historians confirm that the quality of our lives, the blessings of democracy, are endangered. Our weekly Thursday newspaper is an essential, priceless opportunity for all residents in our community to keep informed, and vent our concerns, irreplaceable community voice that enlightens, informs and, when necessary, can mobilize us. That’s the noble purpose of our extraordinary community focused publication.
Appreciatively,
Sylvia K. Corwin, Duxbury, MA (Last address in New York: 2 Stuyvesant Oval)
Tagged: homeless, rent stabilization, Town & village
