Letters to the Editor

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Published: Aug 5, 2009

Locked Up

I want to say thank you for publishing Matt Stroud's article, "Little Kid, Life Sentence" [Cover Story, July 31, 2009]. The content, unlikely to be found in such detail in other papers, made the article a remarkable example of why City Paper is so valuable. I knew so little about the issue of juvenile lifers, but this article, between the stats and the human story, helped to make it real for me, having no experience or encounter with our prison system. Thank you so much for making this subject so accessible to a wider audience.

Alex was a good friend of mine in high school. He was a bright, happy, sweet young man who kept a smile on his face all the time. There was nothing he wouldn't do for a friend. He won't make us smile again (only his memory will do that), his mother can't see him and his family can't hear his voice. These are all the things that Mr. Torrance's family still have and can appreciate. Does he not understand that his actions cost the life of another human being? There's only one victim here and it isn't the person who made the choice to lure an innocent young man to his death. I am in total disbelief that he can refer to himself in that way!

It's interesting that urban bees in Philly do well and produce lots of honey in contrast to "country" bees [Loose Canon, "Who Killed My Bees?" Bruce Schimmel, July 30, 2009]. There are varieties of potatoes that are probably more resistant to pests and blight, but they don't make nice french fries (read Michael Pollan and see Food, Inc. ) so they're not as profitable. We can stop poisoning the bees and ourselves if we want to, but the profit margin may not be as large for some, so those alternatives get quashed in this country.

In the review of Funny People [Movies, "Death and the Comedian," Shaun Brady, July 30, 2009], the film was noted as a Warner Brothers release. It is actually from Universal Pictures. City Paper regrets the error.

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