Close Christopher Pier at 10 p.m.
To The Editor:
Re “4 arrests in ‘donut riot,’ but FIERCE blasts crackdown” (news article, June 9):
The Dunkin Donuts incident on Christopher St. on May 16 was no surprise to most Village residents and merchants, who have complained for years about the behavior of unruly youths on the streets. But now, because this incident was “caught on tape” and received media attention, all of New York is aware of our problem and can see the unruly youths for themselves. But even despite the blatant aggression show in the tape, we have FIERCE on the defense, claiming foul and prejudice and poor youths. This is exactly why nothing has been done to rectify this situation over the years.
FIERCE continues to be a big part of this community’s problems. They certainly are not part of the solution. For years they have spread a message of hatred toward the police and local residents. It is no wonder that so many of the youths from New Jersey and the outer boroughs come to the Village full of hostility and spite, causing so much destruction. FIERCE’s recent remarks in this newspaper about the N.Y.P.D. are typical. The community is grateful that that Police Department does what is necessary to protect the residents, merchants and law-abiding visitors from the wrath of these unruly visitors, who show no respect for each other or for anyone else.
Most of our problems occur late at night into the early morning hours and result from the late 1 a.m. closing of the Christopher St. Pier, which draws unruly youths to the area. The youths claim the pier as their own — not the community’s — and use it as their stomping grounds before descending upon local streets at 1 a.m. At this time, a mob of rebellious, angry and often dangerous youths turn their disrespect and just plain meanness onto the community until the early morning hours. If there is prejudice and foul play, it is shown by these youths!
Much of this could be avoided if, as the community has repeatedly requested, this pier would close at 10 p.m. History has shown that when the pier was closed for two-and-a-half years for refurbishing, the youths found somewhere else to go, and it wasn’t our streets!
It is essential that, if we are ever going to truly make our streets safe for all, this pier must close at 10 p.m.
Dave Poster
Poster is president, Christopher St. Patrol
Inside the Hercules beer buyout
To The Editor:
Re “Beer buyout may be backfiring” (news article, June 16):
Hey. It’s Kyle MacDonald. Let’s clear the air here. Here’s how it went down: I personally took out $20,000 in cash advances on my two credit cards. We bought everything in the store with that cash. None of the five of us had the money to buy the store out in the first place; it was all done on my personal credit card cash advances.
The total cost to buy out the store was nearly $19,000 (including more than $1,000 in New York City sales tax), and $19,000 is a lot of revenue for a bodega the size of Hercules’s in one day.
Yes, this posed a temporary restocking challenge, but Hercules got a large cash infusion, and a considerable one-day profit that helped him pay back debts. He was able to clear out old stock that’d been sitting on the shelves for years. He has since almost fully restocked.
If you want to support a cool bodega owner and want to find some of the most delicious beers in the city, go buy stuff from Herc. If you want to buy our art and help pay back the costs of the buyout, sure, do that, too, but Herc is the star of this story. We genuinely want to help him out and are making moves to do so.
Kyle MacDonald
No escape for baby sparrows
To The Editor:
It’s springtime and the birds are nesting. Little sparrows like to build their nests in the hollow tubes where wires are attached to support traffic lights. On Perry St. there are seven of these traffic lights.
The Perry St. Block Association has sealed off the ends of these tubes with finials, unintentionally trapping the baby birds inside. There is no exit for them but death from starvation, suffocation and heat. The mother birds are frantic.
This decoration was unnecessary and has caused a very sad situation.
Let us hope that others who choose to decorate their traffic light poles will learn from this and not repeat the same mistake.
Ruth Kuzub
G.O.P. double standard?
To The Editor:
Re “What’s the word on Weiner?” (person on the street, June 16):
I find it interesting that pro-family, anti-homosexual Senator Larry Craig was re-elected twice after he was caught soliciting random sex with men in an airport bathroom. Maybe it does pay to be Republican.
Lawrence White
School problems looming
To The Editor:
Re “Cut-rate education is cutting schools to the bone” (class notes, by Ann Kjellberg, June 16):
These numbers are accurate, but staggering. I do not understand how a mayor who prides himself on long-range planning could ignore our children — the best long-range plan we have.
Problems are looming, not only at P.S. 41, but at all our schools; not only in the Village, but in all our neighborhoods; not only now, but for years to come. If we all work to stop it, we can do so. I will do my part.
Keen Berger
Putting children last
To The Editor:
Re “Cut-rate education is cutting schools to the bone” (class notes, by Ann Kjellberg, June 16):
Thanks for this great coverage of the mayor’s devastating proposed budget cuts to the classroom. Spending on contracts, technology, testing and the central and midlevel bureaucracy proceeds apace. Meanwhile, the mayor wants to eliminate 6,000 teaching positions, which would mean the sharpest increases in class size in 30 years.
This is a budget that puts children last.
Leonie Haimson
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