A neighborhood blight that invites new problems
Brooklyn: I’m writing to ask that the Daily News bring attention to a problem I’m sure impacts many neighborhoods in NYC but is becoming more of an issue in East New York. There are many abandoned RVs and tractor-trailers along Glenwood Rd. between Louisiana and Williams Aves. and along Louisiana Ave. between Glenwood Rd./Cozine Ave. and Flatlands Ave. It’s starting to spread down Louisiana Ave. all the way to Stanley Ave. Most are rusting and rotting and are attracting squatters. They pose a danger and are a nuisance to people who want to use the nearby Breukelen Ballfields park. And there is an elementary school a block away.
These vehicles have been there for at least five years. The problem is not being taken seriously. I’ve sent requests to 311 that were routed to the NYPD, who responded that it’s not their issue. One request was forwarded to the Sanitation Department and the reply was that the issue was being referred to the NYPD. I even sent a message to the mayor’s office but I’m still waiting for an action-focused reply. This is frustrating.
At first, it was just one or two tractor-trailers overnight that led me to believe they were occupied by truckers who needed to rest after a long haul to make local deliveries the next morning, but now the number, types of vehicles and people hanging out there is exploding, especially late at night. The quality of life at nearby Breukelen Houses is severely impacted. Nights are particularly sketchy and it’s very possible that the recent stabbing on Stanley and Louisiana was the result of the area’s atmosphere. Wanda Peakes
Slow stretch
Brooklyn: Can someone please explain to me why the Belt Parkway heading west comes to a standstill from Exit 21 until Exit 17? At that point, it miraculously opens up — every day, all day. Why? Andrew Cioffi
Falling behind
Manhattan: The op-ed “NYC’s public schools are flunking the AI test” (July 27) is appalling when I looked at how, despite spending $38,000 per student, NYC students are ranked low in reading and math, and part of it is due to a lack of adjusting to innovations in learning. In my line of work, we have implemented AI in creating case notes for documentation, and it has been an absolute game-changer in terms of innovation and time-saving to move on to other tasks throughout the day. It’s no wonder that other countries produce smarter and more productive children — because they’re ahead of the game. Omar Branch
Unjustifiable
Manhattan: The words genocide, apartheid and holocaust have been invoked to describe the dire humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. More than 60,000 unarmed Palestinian civilians — many of them women and children — have been killed under the orders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These people are being gunned down by the Israeli military while attempting to secure basic necessities like food and water, which are tightly controlled behind Israeli blockades. Children suffer from untreated wounds and starvation, their bones visible beneath malnourished skin, while hospitals that could offer care are systematically bombed. Netanyahu appears determined to prolong the agony of Gaza’s people, perhaps to distract from his own legal troubles and avoid imprisonment in Israel. Sheila Edwards
Foreign meddling
Hartsdale, N.Y.: Voicer John Woodmaska asks why we permit a foreign government to lobby ours, and I ask the same question. Why have we allowed Netanyahu to come to America and openly campaign against three consecutive Democratic presidential candidates? It’s a good question. He is the only foreign head of government to do this in our modern history. Shouldn’t he have to register as a foreign lobbyist in this role? Norman Gaines
Persecution complex
Brooklyn: We can’t ignore the threat posed by ICE agents who routinely operate under a shroud of anonymity, often indistinguishable from vigilantes. In Manhattan, masked agents have arrested immigrants as they attend court hearings, pulling people from elevators and lobbies without judicial warrants or even identifying themselves. These unmarked, unaccountable operations terrorize communities, ripping parents from children and neighbors from neighborhoods — all without due process. Many of those detained are asylum seekers, LGBTQ individuals and others fleeing authoritarian regimes. They are not “violent criminals,” as often claimed, but hard-working residents who contribute to the city’s economy and culture. The 2025 Reconciliation Bill escalates this crisis. It allocates a staggering $100 billion to ICE — more than the entire military budget of any country besides the U.S. and China. And the principle of due process is a cornerstone of American democracy. When we abandon it for some, we erode it for all. Meredith Merna
Paltry peacemaking
Brooklyn: I can just imagine what a Republican, who thought as President Trump does regarding Vladimir Putin, would have said while running for president against FDR in 1944, with World War II raging: “I just want the killing to stop! Millions of good people on both sides have died, and it has to end. I have spoken to Hitler in Berlin and Tojo in Tokyo, and they are good guys, but right now, neither seems willing to make a deal because FDR is bombing the hell out of them and shipping weapons to Russia and China to fight them. I don’t blame them. As president, I would give them both 50 days with no bombing or weapons shipments to come to the table so we can make a deal that would be good for both sides. Only warmongers want to continue this bloodbath while demanding the unconditional surrender of Germany and Japan!” Dennis Middlebrooks
Setting himself up
San Francisco: For weeks now, President Dunce has tried his best to distract from his broken promise to release all of the Epstein files. Now, after throwing his usual tried-and-true deflections at the wall (it was the Democrats, it was Barack Obama), he now makes a colossal mistake of promising to prosecute and jail Obama, et al. for treason, claiming to have irrefutable evidence. Certainly, and hopefully, this too will backfire bigly on the boy that continuously cries wolf. The phrase “hoisted on his own petard” is obviously apropos. Jimmy Layton
Unending allegations
Easton, Pa.: Dear Bramhall, is there anyone else in your world besides Trump? About those Epstein files, don’t you think someone — anyone in Joe Biden’s orbit — would have found some dirt on Trump after four years? They left no stone or panty (Melania’s) unturned. Enough already. Barbara Cusano
Roll back to coal
Manhattan: In a recent article, The News wrote about Trump offering regulatory relief to the coal industry. In the past, he has lauded the benefits of “clean” coal. I suggest that he take this policy a step further. Why not install a coal furnace and coal bin to heat the White House, and encourage American homeowners to do the same? What a boost for the coal business. He can follow this action by bringing back the use of asbestos and mercury. Think of the jobs that could create. Jeffrey Nelson
Freedom of appearance
Smithtown, L.I.: Why is it a problem that NYPD Chief John Chell appeared on “Dr. Phil,” who is a respected media personality (“An NYPD chief looms large as guest on pro-Trump TV,” July 27), but his appearances on MSNBC weren’t — which, by the way, is anything but less partisan than Phil? Enough with this nonsense portraying every Trump supporter as being worse than the boogeyman. What’s in it this time for the new king of ambulance-chasing, Rev. Kevin McCall, who impersonates a reverend? Andrew Ross
Vice over values
Middle Village: Hulk Hogan’s death reminds us that he was a stereotype for that decade: greed is good, steroid abuse, shallow heroes and short-term thinking. After all, it was the decade that brought us the popular show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” the movie “Wall Street” and, of course, the all-time best, “Liar’s Poker.” John Puglisi
Doubts persist
Levittown, L.I.: Voicer Aydin Torun asks why, after 50 years, haven’t they ever solved the sexual assault on Connie Francis at the Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge in Westbury, L.I. It was never solved because people believe she made the whole thing up. Lee Blumberg
