A nighttime shift could make transit feel safe
Manhattan: Recently, there has been a lot of talk about crime in the subway. Let me relate how Mayor John V. Lindsay successfully dealt with it.
When Lindsay was mayor and the Transit Police was a small unit and not part of the New York Police Department, the mayor transferred about 4,000 of the “surface” NYPD officers to the subways and buses in the five boroughs to create a fourth platoon every night from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. The cops didn’t like it, but they did their jobs, going home after 4 a.m. A uniformed police officer was put in every station and on every train (and some buses).
In the subway, the officer had to move from one car to another after each station stop. At each station, the officer looked out at the platform to see if things looked OK before signaling the train conductor to close the doors and move to the next station.
In the stations, one police officer — not two (with exceptions, such as Times Square and Roosevelt Ave./74th St.) — patrolled the entire station; all platforms, mezzanines, booth attendants and the streets near the entrances.
The Fourth Platoon officers varied their dinner hours and breaks. Again, the police didn’t like the hours, but they did their jobs, and passengers looked relieved when they saw a uniformed police officer enter their subway car or walking the station platform. It worked. Alan Flacks
From the wild
Scarborough, N.Y.: So, now we have to worry about bird flu and monkeypox. What’s next, dog measles? Thomas F. Comiskey
Unmasked madness
Manhattan: So, do I now have to get a note from my doctor and carry it around with me at all times to be able to wear a mask in Nassau County because I can’t be vaccinated due to a medical reaction to the vaccine? Or maybe I should have an arm band. Hoo boy. What idiots. Cindy Roberts
Poor presenter
Fairfield, N.J.: I listened to the Yankees radio broadcast this past weekend. I am not a Yankees fan. However, I totally agree with Bob Raissman regarding the class and excellent professionalism that Suzyn Waldman has shown over her career (“In a sorry state,” column, Aug. 18). What were the Yankees suits thinking bringing Craig Carton into the booth? Also, advertising on the Yankees players’ uniforms? Alexander Franchino
Tsk, tsk
Palm Coast, Fla.: Yo, Voicer Richie Nagan: As a Jew, you should be ashamed of yourself writing that your cousin taught his infant children to say “kill Arabs.” Douglas Weinberg
Principal’s pals
Fall River, Mass.: So, 100-plus Brooklyn families were left “reeling” by the sudden dismissal of Crown Heights elementary school principal Valerie Macey, who claims she is guilty of nothing more than “daring to speak out against injustice” (“Principal out, and parents rage,” Aug. 18). If these parents had what used to be known as common sense, they would be incensed that their child’s elementary school principal in any shape or form was condoning and permitting any teacher to express an opinion in the classroom regarding the Israeli-Hamas conflict. If parents want to indoctrinate their children so they grow up demonizing Israel and its supporters, let them do it on their own sweet time. Charles Winokoor
Silenced majority
Brooklyn: All major polls agree on one conclusion voiced by the American people: Voters believe Donald Trump and the Republican Party are better suited to handle the economy and inflation, crime, immigration and the Middle East crisis, having consistently agreed that there would have been no attack on Ukraine or Israel under a Trump presidency. How, then, can any polls suggest that the presidential race is a dead heat? There is a man in a nursing home in Georgia thinking, “I had stagflation, I had an Iranian hostage crisis, and I wasn’t in a dead-heat race!” The mainstream media is in the tank for Kamala Harris, not reporting actual results, further exacerbated by the fact that they poll 20-25% more Democrats than Republicans. David DiBello
Knows enough
Madisonville, Pa.: I have been challenged by Trump supporters saying that I don’t even know what Harris stands for. That may be. But I know what Trump stands for. And after Jan. 6, no more, never again! Tom Mielczarek
Crowd delusion
Bronx: To MAGA followers of Trump: Please implore your lunatic leader to check himself into a mental facility. He needs help, not the presidency. He did not nearly draw a larger crowd than Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” crowd. MLK’s speech was an estimated 250,000 people, and the Associated Press estimated that Trump’s Jan. 6 insurrection speech drew about 10,000 people. Let’s, in charity, say that this is off by 100% — that would put his crowd at 20,000. To say that no one died during the insurrection is just insane; however, it’s certain that some MAGA followers would believe it. Let’s make America beloved again. Wake up, MAGA! Gilbert M. Lane
Destitute
Stratford, Conn.: Why don’t all these Harris supporters walk around Central Park at night (and daytime, lately) and see how your pick for president is doing on the border crisis? Step up and tell us with a straight face that there is no border crisis. And if she gets elected, it will get worse. Or will you wait for your daughter, wife, mother or grandma to get raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant to come to your senses? A sad commentary on how stupid American voters can be. Peter Sulzicki
Inexplicable
Fort Worth, Texas: It’s simply unbelievable to me that some of the same people who would refuse to live next door to a convicted felon who had tried to overturn our democracy, defrauded college students, stolen top-secret documents and was accused of raping and sexually abusing multiple women would still vote for him to be president of the United States. Sharon Austry
Malicious character
Newark: Recently, Trump stated that not since Abraham Lincoln has any president done more for Black America than he. Really? Lincoln spoke of a “government of the people, by the people and for the people.” Trump seems to prefer a government of special interest, by special interest and for special interest. Lincoln said that we should go toward our “better angels.” Trump seems to prefer the “fallen angels.” Lincoln said, “With malice toward none, with charity for all.” Trump seems to prefer malice toward the needy, charity for the greedy. Oral Dean Green
Derangement claims
Melbourne, Australia: Sometimes the comments about letters to the editor are more interesting than the letters, and certainly more colorful. A recent comment referred to “Trump derangement syndrome.” This is a phrase that needs something extra, maybe an apostrophe. Is it about Trump’s derangement being a syndrome of the worst of political battles? Is it Trump’s effort to cause derangement in the election process so he can return? Is it about a deranged writer’s obsession with Trump? I’ll leave it to the reader to decide. Dennis Fitzgerald
Trumpian senator
Jamaica: Hey, Florida constituents: Sen. Rick Scott has to go! He believes what Trump believes, especially about the ban on abortion. Besides, what has he done for you lately except get rich? Truly SAD! Charlene Black
Butterfly betrayal
Brooklyn: Monarch butterflies are an iconic, endangered species we all instantly recognize and love. Their populations are declining because of habitat loss. Monarchs migrate north from Mexico and the next generation returns there. New York is a critical stop on their journey. When the adults get here, they lay their eggs to continue the next generation. Instead of growing into caterpillars, they are needlessly killed by the NYC Department of Transportation. Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed. The city considers milkweed a noxious weed instead of a beneficial native plant. Since it grows naturally on the sides of highways, DOT mows it so only grass remains. This kills the milkweed plant and any caterpillars or eggs. Without access to milkweed, the butterflies won’t survive. Their species can go extinct because DOT thinks grass in the only acceptable land cover. Please bring attention to this issue so another vital part of our environment doesn’t disappear. Michelle Del Pin