Readers: Don’t speed to judgement after fatal crash
Cops arrested an out-of-state
truck driver for hitting and killing
a senior in Kensington while
behind the wheel of his big rig with
a suspended license (“Truck driver
arrested for fatally mowing senior
down with big rig in Kensington,”
by Colin Mixson, online Dec. 14).
The 54-year-old defendant, who
lives in Ohio, faces up to one year
in prison if convicted of the top
count of aggravated unlicensed
operation of a motor vehicle in the
third degree, one of the charges
prosecutors slapped him with at a
Criminal Court arraignment following
the deadly Dec. 12 crash,
according to a spokesman for the
district attorney.
Not surprisingly, news of the
traffi c-related death drew several
reactions from readers:
I was told that drivers never face
any consequences for killing people.
Perhaps that was someone that has
an obsessive hatred of the police.
Henry Ford from Bay Ridge
There are many consequences for
killing someone while driving. His license
to drive in NY will be revoked.
He will probably be charged with
misdemeanors of failure to yield and
failure to exercise due care. Both
punishable by up to a year. I never
understand why they don’t charge
with reckless endangerment, a felony.
Unless he was drunk, juries just
don’t convict for manslaughter. Max
time for the above is seven years.
I know that corner — it’s where
Fort Hamilton Parkway crosses as
well. A diffi cult corner … for pedestrians.
Frank from Furter
Was the pedestrian in a crosswalk?
Did the pedestrian have the
green light or the walk sign?
We should not automatically assume
that the motorist is evil and always
at fault. Wilbur D. Horse
from Gotham
Let us not assume blame. Let the
process go forward without public
pressure or infl uence. Let’s put the
angry-torch-carrying, mob mentality
behind us and allow civility to rein.
And a technicality for suspended
license is not just cause for a conviction
on reckless — we’ve all been
there, and it’s easy for even the most
responsible person to incur.
Due Process from NYC
Wilbur: If the truck was turning
left, the pedestrian had the same
light. Frank from Furter
A Brooklyn mother whom police
violently arrested earlier this
month after ripping her baby from
her arms inside a Boerum Hill
social-services offi ce walked out
of jail free on Dec. 11, after Kings
County’s top prosecutor dismissed
all charges against her (“DA drops
charges against Bed-Stuy mom violently
arrested at Ft. Greene social
services offi ce,” by Julianne
Cuba, online Dec. 12).
Video footage that Facebook
user Monae Sinclair took and
posted of the Dec. 7 incident
showed a group of cops attempting
to grab Jazmine Headley’s 1-yearold
son from her arms, after private
security offi cials and police
reportedly demanded she leave the
Fort Greene Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program’s Bergen
Street offi ce because she was sitting
on the fl oor due to a lack of
open chairs.
Law-enforcement offi cials
initially slapped Headley with
charges including resisting arrest
and endangering a child, and
shipped her off to the notoriously
brutal jails on Rikers Island. But
days later — and following multiple
protests — District Attorney
Eric Gonzalez dropped the charges
after Headley spent four nights behind
bars without her son.
Readers weighed in on the incident
and its aftermath:
One day, the stupid New York Police
Department is going do something
like that in front of too many
people, and it’s going to end up with a
riot on its hands. Jim
from Cobble Hill
All they needed to do is get her a
chair. Frank from Furter
Or some of the 20 or 30 people occupying
chairs could have given up
their seats. They sure were ready to
scream, yell, and record video when
the cops came.
Was she the only person standing?
How many chairs should they
haul out of the offi ces?
COURIER L 38 IFE, DEC. 21–27, 2018 DT
Courthouse from Mercer County
After a couple of hours, I sit on the
fl oor. You shouldn’t be arrested for
sitting on the fl oor. Frank
from Furter
Park Slopers are scratching
their heads after months of silence
from the developer that last year
fi led plans to replace the Fifth Avenue
Key Food with a two-building,
mixed-use complex that will contain
a similarly inexpensive grocery
store (“Market watch: Slopers
ponder Fifth Ave. Key Food’s fate
after months pass with no signs
of site’s redevelopment,” by Colin
Mixson, online Dec. 18).
Bigwigs at builder Avery Hall
in October 2017 submitted plans
for its two-tower project, which
includes a 73-foot-tall structure
at the corner of Baltic Street, a
smaller 44-unit building near
Sterling Place atop what is now
Key Food’s parking lot, and a public
courtyard between the two.
And now, some locals are wondering
when construction will begin
and Key Food’s days at the site
will end.
One reader shared his
thoughts:
It sucks to lose that store! Good
size, selection, parking lot. We’re going
to have nothing left!
I’m sure the new store will be
smaller, and that’s if they even get a
new one. They can’t force a company
to take the space, so what if no supermarket
company wants to lease it?
And no parking lot … maybe there
will be a garage but will it be free?
And how many spots?
Scott from Sunset Park
Bush’s legacy
To the Editor,
This letter is addressed to Bob
Capano for his column about the
passing of former President George
H.W. Bush (“A farewell to ‘41,’ ” online
Dec. 6). I am sad that, in remembering
the president and his accomplishments,
you left out a very
important thing.
In 1990, former President Bush
signed the Americans with Disabilities
Act into law. This was very important
bipartisan legislation that
helped everyone.
It did not matter if you were a Republican
or a Democrat, liberal or
conservative, a veteran, rich, poor,
gay, etc. The law helped everyone
with a disability. This also why I am
sad he passed away, because he put
aside politics to pass the Americans
with Disabilities Act and help all
Americans.
In many of your articles you have
brought up that both parties should
work together. You may not at this
moment have a disability, but I’m
sure you know many persons with
disabilities. I, for one, am — as is my
son, who you know. My late mother
was also helped by the act.
But it seems, as usual, anything
having to do with disabilities is not
important to those who do not live
with one. Debra Greif
Sheepshead Bay
The next generation
To the Editor,
Commemoration of heritage is
everywhere. Whether celebrating
Hanukkah with latkes, toasting
Christmas with eggnog, or enjoying
Kwanzaa’s groundnut stew, this is
the time of year we pass a “wealth” of
traditions on to future generations.
We can pass our actual wealth to
future generations, too. The family
home or business can be part of our
legacy.
In retirement, the family dwelling
can become a management burden.
Options vary. In Brooklyn, where
home values have skyrocketed by 50
percent over the past decade, we may
fi nd our home is a far more valuable
asset than anticipated.
We may gift it to our children
(mind the tax consequences), sell it to
them (and continue living in it, if desired),
or even loan them money for
its purchase.
The family business is another
ideal vehicle to transfer accumulated
wealth, with priority on identifying
a successor. Sometimes multiple siblings
have worked in the business,
and deciding which should inherit it
can be daunting.
Occasionally, a valued employee is
a better choice: Selling to a non-family
member and disbursing the profits
among relatives is another avenue
for passing on wealth. Or, parents
can gift voting and non-voting stock
to their offspring. This helps ensure
that heirs share the wealth.
Whether personal, commercial,
or metaphorical, our wealth
should be transferred to future
generations as our legacy.
Mark Seruya
Midwood
The writer is a vice president at Morgan
Stanley.
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