Letters to the Editor

What You Say

Hate on me hater, now or later

I would like a restatement of my title as Director of South Philadelphia H.O.M.E.S Inc. in the article titled "No Good [Deed]" by Andrew Thompson [Naked City, Oct. 22, 2009]. I informed him and another staffer who called to get my proper title that my title is Point Breeze Avenue Corridor Manager.

I also feel the article was slanted making us look like haters. I met with Antoinette on two occasions and felt that the meetings were friendly. She asked me what she could do to be accepted by the community. I told her to join the Point Breeze Community Development Coalition because we could use her help in greening the area. The next time I spoke with her I gave her the Water Department's Green Model Neighborhood Petition to better manage the stormwater runoff. She took them and had them filled out. She asked at the first Planning Commission meeting what she was to do with them and I had the same question. No one had an answer for us that day. The Pioneers were invited to speak at SPHI's quarterly community meeting to share information about their activities, and did so.

I would like to see Mr. Thompson do a story about SPHI and report on the many services we provide to the community. We also clean lots on a weekly basis, with a grant from the City of Philadelphia, that was not mentioned. We partner with Phila CARES for community cleanup wherever they have volunteers and much, much more even when there is no financial assistance. Yes, we lack volunteers. Yes, we want a better community. No, we are not haters, just hard workers who don't like to be lied about.

Why does the City Paper have such a zealous penchant for using excrement in both its column titles and its pieces? I am wondering if this is printed intentionally for humor, or if your writers simply lack the intellectual wherewithal to produce linguistically heavy work.

In "Go West, Young Man," [Naked City, Isaiah Thompson, Oct. 29, 2009] we reported that the Rivers casino in Pittsburgh had declined to make a promised payment toward the Pirates' stadium. The facility the casino is helping fiance construction for is actually the Penguins' new hockey arena. City Paper regrets the error.