Treating Penny as an aggressor belies the facts
Williston, Vt.: It’s unconscionable that charges are moving forward against Daniel Penny for killing Jordan Neely. It sets an unnerving precedent that, when confronted with a threatening situation, we are supposed to passively wait to see what happens. How much threatening behavior does it take to feel reasonably confident that violence will follow, to pull your children closer in the event you need to shield them from physical assault? Self-defense and deescalating a situation are valid, legal options.
Penny’s actions in subduing Neely on the subway last year were intended to keep others and himself safe from what those passengers felt would be imminent harm. He was a bystander with a quick mind and deep heart. I firmly believe he envisioned that the situation would unravel into mass assaults or killings based on the actions and verbal tirade of Neely, who had hardships no person should be expected to endure. He didn’t become desperate overnight. He suffered two decades of mental trauma and deterioration. Asking for help should not come in the form of saying someone will die that day. Neely had offenses and behaviors deemed red flags for the police and mental health support community. His family knew he needed help. Fingers can be pointed all around for years of repeatedly failing to find resources for a man so unstable.
It’s incomprehensible that Penny has been catapulted into this public stage with every unforgiving motive launched at him. Every capable subway rider should have considered what to do to protect themselves and fellow commuters that day. Penny had the swift instincts, morals and fitness to put himself between a very real potential threat and innocent lives. Mr. Penny, you did the right thing. Krista Webdale
Forfeited rider rights
Manhattan: Jonathan Davalos stabbed MTA conductor Myran Pollack multiple times, almost killing him. Davalos previously stabbed a woman in the train station. He is a repeat violent offender who should be banned from the MTA system for life and automatically serve prison time if he is caught violating that ban. The problem is that there is no law stating this. People can be banned from residences, bars, restaurants and stadiums and then arrested and jailed if they violate that ban. But New York doesn’t automatically ban and jail repeat violent offenders of the MTA. Why? Because there is a lack of leadership. Leonard Marshall
Same old story
Brooklyn: So, Mayor Adams is replacing Sheena Wright with a different deputy mayor (“1st Deputy Mayor Wright balked on leaving, but finally resigns,” Oct. 9). This tells you a lot about his lack of commitment to changing the perception of corruption. What he needs are fresh names who had little or no ties to him or his administration, not more of the same. Gov. Hochul should be taking close notice. Glenn Brown
Hawking housing
Middle Village: Re “The housing must go on” (editorial, Oct. 13): I am astounded that the Daily News is supporting the City of Yes. As you are fully aware, the vast majority of Community Boards are against it. These are people chosen to represent their neighborhoods based on their devotion and expertise. In addition, most of the people living in NYC do not want to see it approved. Everyone is painfully aware of our housing crisis, but the important thing to keep in mind is that we need affordable housing. And nowhere in the 1,000-plus pages of this third and final part of Mayor Adams’ City of Yes initiative does it mention or mandate that the new homes built will be below market value. Sadly, this proposal is only going to benefit land developers (many of whom heavily contributed to Adams) and wealthy people looking to invest in real estate. Lee Rottenberg
Earlier atrocities
Brooklyn: To Voicer Glenn Hayes: I’ve heard that Erik the Red landed on the new land’s shores long before Christopher Columbus. The Viking crewmen marauded, raped the natives and were driven from the shores. They never told of their discovery! John Corbett
Profane
Belle Harbor: Re “Jeter is Jazz singer” (Oct. 13) about Jazz Chisholm Jr.: Is it now permitted to use the F-word in your family newspaper? Bobby Nelsen
Misstated date
Suffern, N.Y.: At one of his rallies, Donald Trump referred to the upcoming election on Jan. 5. Does this mean he’s in favor of late voting? Rick Sinclair
Red flags
Chester, N.J.: I did a spit take when I learned that the potential assassin who tried to get into a Trump rally in Coachella with illegal guns and multiple boxes of ammo was released on a few thousand dollars bond. But it wasn’t the guns that got me: He had multiple false licenses and passports. This all screamed both assassin and flight risk. How did the local police, the FBI and Trump’s Secret Service all agree with prosecutors that this guy should go free? David J. Melvin
Subjective document
Tomkins Cove, N.Y.: Voicer Gregory W. Chupa’s letter on the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact strains credibility when he professes that if Candidate A wins 99% of New York’s popular vote but Candidate B wins the national vote by a 51%-49% margin, this is somehow disenfranchisement. First, 99% of New Yorkers can’t agree that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Second, in 2016 I voted for Hillary Clinton, as did millions more than for Trump, yet my choice wasn’t inaugurated in January of 2017. Is that not disenfranchisement of me and millions of others? Whether this compact would survive constitutional muster depends entirely on the composition of the Supreme Court. As we’ve seen since Trump packed the court, they and any other court says what’s constitutional regardless of what that document actually says. Doug Slotolowicz
Intellectual decline
Freehold, N.J.: I have recently been reading through many of John F. Kennedy’s, Robert F. Kennedy’s (both Democrats) and Ronald Reagan’s (Republican) many speeches, musings and thoughts on America, politics, freedom and social justice. Then I catch up on the litany of nonsense, double-speak and total lack of substance that spews from both candidates running for president and realize how far we have fallen in a relatively short time. I truly pray for our children and their children. Lee Ottman
Unwise words
Edinburgh, Scotland: In his faux-macho, stultifyingly steroidal — adenoidal — blurtings to the international business community, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s pitch used infamous George W. Bush language from the Iraq War. I could not quite believe what I was hearing. Whoever wrote the line “the shock and awe of investment” clearly understands neither war nor investment. It is way more than embarrassing. Is Starmer (a) catastrophically callous, (b) devastatingly tone deaf or (c) tragically tasteless (maybe that’s why he needs to get someone else to buy his clothes)? No one but Bush and Tony Blair still think that was a good idea. Would someone please ask Starmer, when he’s trying to macho himself up, whether he actually remembers how that whole gig worked out? Amanda Baker
Banner of bigotry
Cincinnati: I was just in Amelia, Ohio, and saw several Confederate flags flying from front porches. If you fly the Confederate flag or have a Confederate flag bumper sticker, you are showing allegiance to the flag. The Confederates were pro-slavery and traitors. People have the right to display it, and Black folks have the right to confront them. We should all confront them. If they are waving the flag, they stand behind what it stands for. If I waved a flag on my porch that says, “Bring back Black slavery,” I may have some confrontations. Can the media for once bring this point out, please? Mark Jessee
Compact cars
Levittown, L.I.: To Voicer Al Glass: I couldn’t agree more! They say that more Americans want a four-door vehicle, so they phased out the two-door except for the high-end models. There are many people who don’t want a sedan. I, for one, don’t need four doors. I am not hauling canoes and hockey sticks everywhere I go, I’m hauling myself to work every day. Car manufacturers, please bring back the stylish coupe! Jill Waunsch
