Letters to the Editor

What You Say

Cop Rock

Where is the citizen review board when you need them [Cover Story, "Who Polices the Philly Police?" Andrew Thomspon, Feb. 4]? Where is the mayor? Where is the citizen outcry? How much proof do we need that cops think they work for themselves? When will cops be trained at the Academy to understand that they are employees, and that we own them?

Until we are ready to stand up to some simple questions, cops will run wild all over us.

Why didn't the author do anything? How about picking up a phone and calling what must be few thousand citizens groups in the city? Who really holds responsibility for the things that we see?

[Panorama] sounds like something that would work well as a quarterly [Loose Canon, "Big Newspaper, Huge Success," Feb. 4]. If it really is that chock-full of content it would take me, personally, quite a while to get through it anyway. And I can't see paying $16 a month, but four times a year? Sure.

Just a minor correction about your article, and one that was eye-opening to me when I found out about it [Naked City, "Grumpy Old Men," Andrew Thomspon, Jan. 21].

The city charter doesn't guarantee the at-large seat to Republicans, but to a different party than the majority. "To this end not more than five candidates for councilmen-at-large shall be nominated pursuant to law by any party or other political body" [ 2-101].

It is surprising that Democrats don't support/encourage other candidates of similar mind-set, like the Greens. It is also surprising to me that the Philadelphia Green Party doesn't put more effort into an at-large seat rather than trying to run a hopeless presidential election.

But there it is.