March 11-17, 2004

mailbag

Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Pros for Conn

First off, I would like to say that "CitySpace" is perhaps the best newspaper column I have ever read. The issues raised each week are so vital to Philadelphia's health that the entire column should be moved to the front of the paper, rather than getting lost in the classifieds at the end.

Now to the issue at hand. Along with parking garages, suburban-style housing and chain stores, the Design Advocacy Group has once again confronted a menace to urban society: sidewalk parking [CitySpace, "Get Your Damn Car off the Sidewalk," Steve Conn, March 4, 2004]. Last weekend, I suffered a painful reminder of how bad life can be for a pedestrian when I traveled home to the suburban town in Connecticut where I was raised. With front yards extending right to the edge of the paved roadway and no shoulders or sidewalks, pedestrians do not have a dedicated space of their own. Thus, they are forced to either intrude on private property or share the road with cars.

In Philadelphia, we are fortunate enough to have sidewalks, but they are constantly abused. A prime example is Shurs Lane in Manayunk. Cars parked on the sidewalks beneath the Manayunk Avenue bridge routinely force pedestrians onto a narrow, busy street with no shoulders. What makes this even worse is that Shurs Lane is a prime route for Roxborough residents living near Ridge Avenue to get down to Main Street for shopping and entertainment. It is no wonder that people drive the mile and deal with finding parking rather than put their lives at risk by walking.

That the vitality of cities is intrinsically linked to pedestrian activity is an accepted truth both the police and politicians seem to have forgotten. This dominating auto-centric mentality continues to degrade the urban environment and destroy one of the key advantages that Philadelphia has over its suburbs.

John Federico
Philadelphia

I just read " Get Your Damn Car off the Sidewalk." I agree with what was written. As the surrounding areas of Center City becomes more attractive (Northern Liberties, Fishtown, etc.), there is nothing more unappealing than a car on the sidewalk, trash out a few days before pickup and a double-parked car, specially on a trolley track. I'm a resident in Fishtown, and SEPTA plans to replace the No. 15 bus route with a trolley. This will make Northern Liberties, Fishtown and some of West Philly have character and be more attractive. But if the law isn't enforced, what good will it bring? As a resident I known that I could call and complain and I have, but I feel that those who enforce the law should take it up a notch and enforce it themselves. If the city needs more money, I see plenty of dollar signs hanging over some double-parkers, early trashers and sidewalk-parkers.

Julio Nieves
Philadelphia

Thanks so much to Steve Conn for his intelligent piece on sidewalk parking (and other quality-of-life issues) in this city. I live in Fairmount, and I wrote to the chief of police and to the local district about this last year; I got a polite answer, but there has never been any observable enforcement. Our last police chief said at a community meeting in Center City, when asked about red-light running and traffic anarchy, "That's not a problem," which I take to mean, not a problem that our police department intends to do anything about. The message is, if you don't like living in a city with no rules, go somewhere else -- and, of course, sadly, many of us do.

Bill Lang
Fairmount

Another one of my pet peeves exposed! If you think Fairmount is bad, Cherry Street between Eighth and Ninth, where the police and people who work at the Roundhouse park on the sidewalk every day. They have two huge city parking lots there also. In addition, there are double-parkers on Ninth Street north of Arch to use the Police and Fire Federal Credit Union.

And let's not forget the police cars and vans parked on Vine Street at 11th (of all places). I've called the police to complain approximately six times over the last three years. The police accused me of being someone who dislikes the police and is out to give them a hard time. How can we expect the regular folk to park legally when the police think they have special dispensation?

By the way, have they cleared the cars from the City Hall apron yet?

The madness continues!

Roland Ott
Philadelphia

Poor Vinny

Is the world coming to an end? Vince Fumo's ballot position is being challenged, after all these years of using the same tactic to clear the field for his merry little band of followers [Political Notebook, Mary F. Patel, March 4, 2004].

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

What I find most interesting, however, is Vern Anastasio's unwillingness to kick the senator when he's down. Is this a calculated political move or the mark of a genuinely nice guy?

In everything I've seen, Anastasio's comments defend Fumo's right to be on the ballot. Seems to me this young and smart former opponent of Councilman Frank DiCicco also has a lot of class and integrity. Which is more than can be said for Fumo's arrogant underlings.

If these were the days of ancient Rome, Fumo would be fearing the Ides of March and Vernon would be known as "Anastasio the Merciful."

Tony Delvecchio
Philadelphia

The Mafia Myth

In your recent Underworld column ["Billy's Back in Town," Brendan McGarvey, March 4, 2004] you made mention of the infamous "Mafia summit" that was alleged to occur in Apalachin, N.Y. This incident has become the cornerstone of the "Mafia myth" that has been told and retold to the American public for so many years. Yet no legal documentation proving any such conspiracy has ever been offered. In fact, most of what is known about this meeting has come from Joseph Valachi, the discredited star witness of the 1963 McClellan committee.

Criminologists Smith, Albini, Morris and Hawkins have thoroughly proven that all of Valachi's testimony before that committee is without any merit. Without Valachi, all that is known about the Apalachin meeting is that men of Italian descent from various parts of the East Coast gathered together one day.

Speculation as to their motives for gathering have fueled the belief that a syndicated group of Italian-Americans control virtually all of the illegal activity that occurs in the underworld. This belief has stained the legacy of Italian-Americans for too many years.

While I appreciate your coverage of organized criminals of all ethnic backgrounds, I ask you to keep in mind the damaging effect the "Mafia myth" has had on all Italian-Americans. Continuing to tell people about events like Apalachin only add fuel to that fire.

Gregory Mario Jacovini

Publisher
The Italian Newspaper

Bruce Is the Boss

I had never read your paper before and happened to pick up a copy left behind on the bus. The column by Bruce Schimmel on the Palestinians is outstanding ["Why Palestinians Suffer," Loose Canon, March 4, 2004]. It is written very clearly and gives the facts as they are. For a change,it is refreshing to read true facts and not the propaganda that has been handed to the world.

The article about Mel Gibson's Passion [Slant, "The Passion," Flavia Colgan, March 4, 2004] is so true, but for some reason or other, people believe only what they are told, and so much is not true.

I look forward to reading you paper every week if you can print such informative and truthful articles.

Florence Silvers
via e-mail

The U.S. may contribute "just under $100 million" to a Palestinian-aiding U.N. relief agency, but that is nothing compared to the $3 billion the U.S. gives in annual aid to Israel. It is with U.S. support that the Israeli government is building its wall ("security fence" hardly describes hundreds of miles of concrete and barbed wire) to imprison a people and steal their land and water.

The fact that no government, in the Middle East or elsewhere, has come to the Palestinian people’s aid should not lead us to chide other countries -- over whose policies we have no influence -- but to rally our own. All of us who live in the U.S. must demand that our own government stop sending aid to Israel for as long as Israel occupies Palestine. If we do not, our tax dollars will continue to play a major role in why Palestinians suffer.

Mica Root
Via E-mail