Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Stink Elephants

I found your coverage of Election Day to be quite mesmerizing ["Street-peat," CP staff, Nov. 6, 2003]. It perfectly captured the spirit of what this campaign was about. I was shocked to find that so many people voted for Street out of angst for the Republican Party and federal government. There were two quotes that resonated most from your article. The first was from a voter saying that she did not like Street's rough tactics but was not going to vote for a Republican. This quote was even more emphasized in the middle of your coverage's description of alleged incidents of Street supporters assaulting Katz's during Election Day. The other quote was from Katz, in which he stated this was the best campaign he had ever run but the one he did worst in. The bottom line was that people didn't care about what Katz had to say or what kind of person he was -- they voted against his choice to be registered a Republican.

Bob Caruso
Philadelphia

Wanting Out

As a new/old Philadelphian, I couldn't agree with you more ["Take a Stand, Already," Amy L. Webb, Slant, Nov. 6, 2003]. I was born and raised in Center City and I left 20 years ago to attend graduate school in Chicago. I moved back to Center City only a month ago.

During the time I've been gone, I have lived in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Seoul, Riverside (Calif.), Austin, Manhattan and on a farm in rural Pennsylvania. At no time during the last 20 years have I ever felt threatened or unsafe, whether it be carousing around Manhattan at 3 a.m. or catching the nightlife in Seoul.

But I don't feel safe in Philadelphia. The police presence is practically nonexistent compared to most other major cities. Bums (sorry for not using the politically correct term "homeless people," but they're just fucking bums) and thugs rule the streets. This doesn't just happen. It's permitted. It comes from the mayor and filters down.

Most of the people I work with live in the suburbs and hate coming into the city. They are completely intimidated by it. Being a born-and-bred city boy, I used to laugh at such attitudes. But now I can understand. I never used to understand why people fled the city. Why wouldn't everyone want to live here? Everything you could possibly want is within a few blocks. But sensible people want some sort of feeling of comfort and safety. And I can assure you that it does not exist in Philly. Add all this to the crushing taxes and you have a lose-lose situation.

I remember Manhattan in the early and mid-'70s. It was just as grungy and unsafe as Philadelphia is now. Manhattan grew. San Francisco grew. Seoul and Bangkok have grown. Philly is the same old tired shithole.

It's a second-rate city, and as long as the voters permit it to be, it will be. Philadelphians are getting what they deserve and what they vote for.

I came back because I missed all the cool city stuff. But I have found that it just isn't worth it. New York or Green Acres, here I come.

Jeffrey Morgan
Via E-mail

Clarification

Sam Adams' music pick on The Khyber's Adam Franklin concert claimed that the club was "falsely billing this as a Swervedriver show." At press time, the event was billed, per contractual obligation, as "Adam Franklin/Swervedriver."