Readers sound off on crime reporting, Trump’s promised presser and new music

Stamford, Conn.: Your Aug. 15 story “Vic’s near-death stab: Herald Sq. knife man gave me no ‘chance to say anything’ ” leads me to a series of conflicting emotions. The police work in apprehending this uncivilized scoundrel should be congratulated. And the gentlemanly manner of the unfortunate victim is laudable.

But the crime statistics quoted in the body of your piece are fatally flawed. Whenever I hear about subway crime going down (reportedly by 4%), I can’t help but wonder where these numbers come from. They don’t comport with my experience and they are belied by the continuous stream of reprehensible criminality that you report in your paper daily.

It’s important to distinguish between crimes that are reported versus those that never reach the police blotter. I was personally victimized by an extremely aggressive panhandler a few weeks ago on a crowded shuttle train. I was threatened physically and was severely rattled. I chose not to report the crime because I knew I’d get laughed out of the station house. The offenses that go unreported are not captured in the crime statistics and like me, others surely don’t report crimes, knowing that bail reform and overcrowded dockets often render crime reporting a fool’s errand.

Stop publishing crime statistics that are inherently flawed and clearly inaccurate. The subways are a zoo. Criminals rove the underground like rabid predators. Subways are unsafe and straphangers shouldn’t be gaslighted with specious crime data. Until quality-of-life misdemeanors are taken seriously by our judicial system, NYPD crime statistics will remain a fiction. Peter Janoff

Manhattan: After I read Ydanis Rodriquez’ Daily News article “NYC’s streets are safer for walking” (op-ed, Aug. 15), I decided that I am moving out of New York State. Seamus O’Bannion

Manhattan: So, former President Trump has canceled his press conference on Monday where he was to present an “irrefutable” response to the Fulton County district attorney’s indictment for his (alleged) tampering with Georgia’s election process (“Trump rants at ‘corrupt’ Ga. DA,” Aug. 16). I’d much rather hear what “an extremely credible source” told him (according to his X tweet of Aug. 6, 2012) about then-President Barack Obama’s “fraudulent” birth certificate. Richard M. Morse

Saratoga Spring, N.Y.: Trump promised and then reneged on a “complete exoneration” report on Monday. I knew it wasn’t going to happen. Like his infrastructure proposals, it will be coming out “in two weeks.” Bob English

Mount Sinai, L.I.: Does anyone realize that the disunity taking place in this country is solely the result of one man’s monumental ego? The man lost the popular vote by more than 7 million votes and the Electoral College to boot. So instead of shaking hands with Sleepy Joe, embracing his golf clubs and moving on to Mar-a-Lago and out of our lives, aided and abetted by Republican sycophants and crackpot attorneys, he continues fueling this charade that he actually won. This is not the United States I was born into 82 years ago and it breaks my heart. Karl Bean

Bronx: There was a time not that long ago when Rudy Giuliani was hailed as “America’s mayor.” He was a true American hero with a sterling legacy. Much like Sir Winston Churchill, his courageous show of leadership during and after the 9/11 attacks almost guaranteed him an exalted place in history. He was a man for the ages. Donald Trump is not half the man Giuliani once was. Yet, this manipulative, lying and narcissistic con man somehow dragged the onetime hero and his legacy into a cesspool of corruption, infamy and disgrace. How depressingly sad! Carlos B. Martinez

Oceanside, L.I.: Re “Adams alone can’t fix NYC’s migrant challenge” (column, Aug. 6): Harry Siegel forgot to mention that another threat to democracy is the two-tiered system of justice we now have in this country. It has become who we choose to prosecute and who we choose to allow to skate, who we like and who we don’t — a scary time for this country, enabled by a complicit mainstream media. Where are all the tough questions and aggressive reporting? There is more out there than Trump. Tony Giametta

Brooklyn: Voicer Jimmy Layton dismisses my statement that “in Trump’s case, the investigation generally comes first and finding a crime comes later” by citing crimes Trump is being charged with as coming before the investigation. Layton forgot to mention the years they investigated Trump for Russian collusion. In that case, there was no investigation before the crime — there was no crime! Much of what Trump is being charged with today takes a serious stretch of the imagination to call a crime. To not understand that he is being maliciously hounded by unscrupulous politicians, one has to be drinking a lot of swamp Kool-Aid. The people persecuting Trump have shown themselves to be far more corrupt than anything Trump would be even if he were guilty of everything he’s being charged with. Are people satisfied with the degenerate bunch in charge in Washington today because they hate Trump? They’re tearing down our country. Josh Greenberger

Fort Lee: Who would have thought I would run across an excellent letter from Voicer Jimmy Layton, who appears to be a retired New York attorney whose sage remarks enlightened and entertained his colleagues (including me) when he was practicing law in NYC. I don’t think we ever met, but I remember his name well. One never knows what will show up in the Voice of the People! This letter made my day! Joan L. Weisberg

Charlotte, N.C.: To Voicer Joan Cocurullo and everyone who has written in about President Biden’s finances: I’d like to direct you to Chris Hogan’s book “Everyday Millionaires.” It details how ordinary people can amass millions without schemes or trickery just by following a common-sense plan. I’m not saying that is how Biden became a millionaire but I am saying you can become one if you follow Hogan’s plan and program, so maybe we should stop attacking Biden when we have absolutely no idea how he did it. Barbara Haynes

Bronx: To Voicer Joan Cocurullo: Biden had income from book deals, book tours and speaking fees. In addition, the first lady has a full-time job as a teacher. Marc Menchise

Slidell, La.: Voicer Joan Cocurullo’s interest in how President Biden accumulated his wealth poses an interesting question: How do career politicians manage to stuff so much money in their bank accounts? Perhaps Joan should fire off a letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell asking how his current net worth, estimated to be around $35 million, was accumulated during a career as a country bumpkin lawyer from Kentucky for a few years before becoming a U.S. senator at age 43. How’d you do it, Mitch? Joan wants to know. Gerard Kay

Oak Ridge, N.J.: The problem with the Mets is they get rid of the wrong guys, i.e. Amed Rosario, L.A. Dodgers; Travis Jankowski, Texas Rangers; Travis d’Arnaud, Atlanta Braves — all these guys are heading for the playoffs. I guess the Mets are rebuilding the team around Daniel Vogelbach (built like a cornerstone and hits like one). What a joke. Is it hockey season yet? Jim Heimbuch

Manhattan: I was dumbstruck by a recent article in The New York Times Sunday business section that intriguingly detailed high-profile pop performers Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. The headline shouted that they “make the nation shimmer” and the story included unanticipated details: Fans “spend big for parties, travel and lavish wardrobes” and costly hairstyles, all of which contribute nicely to the economy. On the record, I have no idea who Beyoncé and Swift are. From way back, I’ve been obsessed by old, new and future jazz, which includes some beloved popular American standards. I would like to get with it, honestly. So, I’ve asked a hip friend to make what used to be called a “mix tape” of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift tunes for me. Who knows? I might even also love them. I’m open to it. Stranger things have happened. Jim Fragale