Readers report a long-term absence of shelter, oversight of city jails, and parades of protesters

What to do with a person camping on the street?

Manhattan: I am writing to express my concern about a long-standing problem in our neighborhood that has remained unresolved for years. On Fifth Ave. and 14th St., a loiterer was stationed at times, surrounded by numerous bags of bottles, cans, personal items and trash. This situation not only impacts the aesthetics of our community, but also raises public health and safety concerns.

While I sympathize with those in distress and living on the streets (photo), the accumulation of waste has led to an increase in pests, unpleasant odors and even clogged sidewalks. I, along with other residents and local businesses, have voiced my frustration by calling 311 and alerting police and local officials, but despite these complaints, the problem persists.

I believe the solution requires a compassionate yet firm approach. Authorities and community organizations should coordinate to support individuals, ensure access to resources such as housing and mental health services, while addressing environmental and safety concerns. At the same time, enforcing city ordinances on loitering and littering must be a priority.

Our neighborhood deserves to be a clean and welcoming place for everyone. Perhaps your newspaper’s reporting will push city officials and community leaders to take immediate action to resolve this issue for the benefit of all involved and will be more impactful than the voices of those directly affected. Marjorie Sussman

Not neighborly

Brooklyn: The Daily News editorial board laments the disruption of street dining as “a repurposing of roadside space from car parking to places where people can sit, eat and enjoy themselves” and “a real step forward for neighborhoods” (“Eat Your Heart from “outside,” editorial, November 29). What is the Daily News completely ignoring? The New Yorkers who actually live in the neighborhoods where the noise of street restaurants reigns late into the night! We are the residents who live here who want a break from the money-making restaurant owners and the loud, rowdy diners who party hard on our streets and don’t give a damn about them being 50 feet away from us screaming children’s room window at 11 p.m. God bless this extremely sensible regulation to temporarily restore our quality of life. Vicky Vossen

Fatal rejection

Manhattan: To Speaker Patrice Perticone: New York State should not join in the killing by reinstating the death penalty. It is barbarism, pure and simple. America has made so much progress as a civilized society that we must not go back. It is better to prosecute cowardly elected officials who are responsible for our messed up court system. Neil Pollicino

Indifferent culture

Middle Island, LI: After reading “Fed Takeover of Prisons Considered Likely” (November 28), my question is: What would the Feds do differently? How are prisons currently dealing with attacks on other prisoners and staff? What is your personnel situation like? Honestly, I’m sure they face the same problems as Rikers Island. Where does the city stand when it comes to building district facilities? Ultimately, there is no easy solution, and getting to the bottom of the problem requires starting with a clean slate and managers who want to see real change – with the exception of Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie and First Deputy Commissioner Francis Torres. These people are just here for a salary and have no real sense of how to get anything under control, but receivership won’t be as effective as these people think. Alex Turner

Unforgivable

Stratford, Connecticut: Did I miss something here? The day the professors discussed financial responsibility, were you asleep? Listen, you idiots: You take out a loan and you get money that you want to pay back. Take your faces out of your iPhones and repeat this a few times. What happens when all these fools take out car loans and mortgages? Will they ask the government to please forgive these loans? “Wahhh, I can’t pay them back! Call the ambulance!” Wow, what a generation that is ready to take over when the baby boomers leave this place. Good luck. Peter Sulzicki

Wait and see

Bronx: God bless President Biden as he resigns. He still thinks about the Americans. As Donald Trump prepares for a reign of vengeance, a staff of incompetent Cabinet chiefs and tariffs that will lead to unprecedented inflation, Biden is trying to get the life-saving drug Ozempic included in Medicare and Medicaid. This medication would cost $1,000 per month for the uninsured. 43 percent of Americans suffer from obesity, and this drug will save millions of lives. I pray to God that Biden is as successful as he was with insulin prices, which helped millions of Americans. America has seen a president of all people, and now you have chosen Trump, a president just for yourself. I am 86 and wealthy. He can’t hurt me, but millions will soon feel the pain. Gilbert M Lane

Free bird

Staten Island: The biggest turkey of all was pardoned this year. Victor R Stanwick

Still sore

San Francisco: We live in a democracy. And in a democracy we vote, we count the votes and then declare a winner. There may be a few complaints and disagreements, but on December 17th, when voters come together and vote, it will be over. However, this was not the case in 2020. One side insisted that Democrats cheated, somehow rigged the election, and committed mass voter fraud, and to this day believes this to be true, without any legitimate, legal objection. Court evidence. So think about it for a minute. Even four years later, no one has provided legal proof of this alleged theft. So if the Democrats succeeded in stealing the 2020 election as they claimed, why aren’t they doing it again in 2024? Because it didn’t happen at all. The Big Lie is and was just that – a big lie. Jimmy Layton

National mythology

Manhattan: A recent author praised “America’s history of tolerance and acceptance” (Commentary, November 28). He said we should thank a mythical being (God) for all the blessings we have. I disagree – vehemently. George Washington is quoted as saying that he “gives no sanction to bigotry.” He was a racist and a slave owner. Nine of the next eleven presidents owned slaves. My country is full of fanatics and fascists and they are my enemies. This country is not a democracy and never has been. Only fools and liars claim otherwise. Millions of degenerates who voted for Trump will learn that when you sow, you will reap. They will start paying at the supermarket and end up establishing a dictatorship. May the history of their souls be merciful. Daniel Jean Lipsman

Health centered

Manhattan: I was stunned when the unrivaled Gracias Home Store at Broadway and W. 67th St. closed up shop. It then took the building owners the next few years to gut and renovate the space. Towards the end of the rebuild, I asked one of the hard hats what was supposed to be in there. “Some New York University Health Center,” he replied. I thought the busy gentleman was trying to appease a curious passerby. Recently, tall signs reading “NYU Langone Health” were placed outside the large windows. OPEN SOON.” How awesome is that? It is hoped that the health center, with its comprehensive approach to healing, will certainly be a welcome addition to the Upper West Side during these perilous times that one senior – and everyone else in the neighborhood – could benefit from. James A. Fragale

Angry at protest

Delray Beach, Florida: So the low-profile anti-Israel protesters who disrupted the Thanksgiving parade should all be charged with a crime. So if they are no longer allowed to apply for a job or vote, maybe that would change their attitude. As we all know, this mockery of New York State laws is nothing new. The dispirited politicians who refuse to change the laws don’t care about the hard-working citizens of New York. One day something bad is going to happen with these protests and I ask you: who are you going to call? Ghostbusters!? Manny Agostini