Readers sound off on EMS workers, good cause evictions and racial abuse

Bayside: On Dec. 1, I went into cardiac arrest in Penn Station near Track 17 at 5:45 p.m. I had fallen and hit my head in the process. I woke to hear a man’s voice telling me to hang on. Surrounded by a team of respectful, competent, EMS professionals, I did not know what was happening other than that I had fallen and somehow lost my packages and pocketbook. Three of the EMS staff immediately put me at ease. Barely able to move my body or speak, I could not tell them that I had a cardiac disorder, nor respond when they kept asking if I had taken any drugs. Again, they could not have treated me with more respect.

On the way to the hospital, they assigned one of the men to stay with me the whole time, which immensely helped calm my nerves that were then starting to act up. After arriving at the hospital emergency room, I looked up and saw one of the other EMS workers smiling as he walked towards me. He was holding the packages and my pocketbook I thought I lost in Penn Station!

Since then, I have been trying to get information about the EMS unit so I can send a letter to express my gratitude for how they took care of me. I contacted the FDNY, MTA police and the medical records department of Bellevue Hospital. No one could offer any helpful information.

So, I hope this message gets to them somehow, wherever they are. I will never forget their kindness. Nina Gargon

Brooklyn: My nephew is a retired NYC fireman who worked an untold number of fires in the Bronx and is at a loss to explain why so many FDNY firemen are suddenly being injured when responding to fire emergencies. As he explains, when he was a fireman, injuries were not the norm and firemen were better protected. These injuries must stop, with their causes investigated and eliminated. Vincent Di Napoli

Staten Island: To Voicer Dennis Cristiano: Like most newscasters, they’re clueless, but they like to appear like they’re working behind the scenes really hard, trying to bring you the weather and news. My favorite is when Sam Champion rolls his sleeves up during a snowstorm or potential snowstorm, like he’s working really hard behind the scenes to wrangle in the weather. Joseph Dohner

Englewood, N.J.: Remember when the allure of cable TV was there would be no commercials? I now pay more than $200 a month to watch endless Spectrum ads (14 different ones and counting) on every channel. If they gave me a discount for every one I’m subjected to, I could send them a bill every month. Priscilla Anderson

Floral Park: Dear Jumaane Williams: All your bills to regulate NYPD body camera viewing by the Civilian Complaint Review Board will do nothing to bring down crime in the city. Spend less time on your nonsensical, foolish ideas and more time with City Council members to do something about the everyday crime that has turned this once-great city into a garbage dump. Look around the city and what do you see? Helpless small store owners victimized by thugs. Wake up, Mr. Williams. Edward Rankin

Manhattan: Re ” ‘Good cause’ surprise” (March 28): As a small property owner in Chinatown, I find it shocking that another property owner would say good cause eviction will “let all landlords succeed.” The strict caps on rent increases that are central to good cause eviction fail to take into account rising property taxes and other growing operating costs. This would put small property owners operating on the margins into the red, shutting many of us out of the market altogether, and neighborhoods like Chinatown would be overtaken by absentee developers and out-of-state management companies. Chinatown is full of small property owners like me who live in our community, were born and raised here and rent to members of our community. Our priority is keeping rents affordable and large developers out. Good cause would do nothing to help us. Instead, it would further tilt the property playing field in favor of large, outside developers. Jan Lee

Manhattan: It is far past time for the leaders of this country to stop their hypocritical hysteria that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reforms will stymie Israeli democracy. The main brunt of the reforms is to let the government (i.e. the Knesset) choose judges. They must have gotten this tyrannical and dictatorial idea from the United States, where all federal judges need Senate approval. As the late Tip O’Neill said, “All politics is local.” Louie Russo

Manhattan: To Leonard Greene: I’m sorry you went through the incident on the bus where someone called you the N-word (“Bigot busted, for now,” column, March 12). I would’ve whipped his ass and had him jailed for racial assault. As a 55-year-old Black man, I’m not putting up with any racial abuse from anybody. I remember years ago, working fire watch security at 450 W. 34th St., a white dude said the N-word from far away. I chased his ass down the block like, “Yeah, you want all the smoke!” He knew better than to come around my block! Leonard, these young Black kids today would’ve given him a beatdown. Some have no fear stepping to you. That’s facts, so keep your head high, my friend! It’s 2023 and hate is still around in America! Sean Felder

Ardsley, N.Y.: Even though the COVID-19 pandemic is moving into our rearview mirror, it has highlighted some of the problems in our health care system, including understaffing. Safe staffing saves lives and is a vital component of any health care. Understaffing in most New York hospitals and other health care facilities risks patient safety. Therefore, we must all speak out and support nurses for safe staffing. While the effects of COVID-19 are still fresh in our minds, this is the best time to articulate health care concerns for quality care for all New Yorkers. Lorna Obia

Hicksville, L.I.: Once again, President Biden was given a chance to try and unite a deeply fractured country when asked about the school shooting that claimed six lives in Tennessee. Instead, as he did in Buffalo, he cracked a couple of jokes that were inappropriate considering the situation, and then raged incoherently against Republicans for not passing any strict gun measures, even though the Democrats controlled both Houses for two years. What a leader! Biden is incompetent, as bad as the Carter administration was. At least Jimmy Carter is a good human being and had some competent people in his Cabinet. This whole administration sucks. John Gelormino

Brooklyn: The cover of Thursday’s edition in bold print, “Nightmare pimp beats, tattoos vics” (March 30), and the subsequent article shows the vicious actions of a threat to society. This animal beats and subjects women to torture and prostitution. Surely, he deserves to be punished and removed from society. But what does he get? He is released without bail. This is our legal system. This is unacceptable. The judge, Peter Vallone Jr., should be removed from the bench if this is how he deals with animals who prey on others. I guess it is far more important to spend our legal resources on a man who paid off a porn star. Yes, we must protect ourselves from this evil before he pays off someone else. Vincent Sandella

Union, N.J.: What happened to my tough, no-nonsense, take-no-guff New Yorkers (I was born in Queens)? I hear no outrage, no pushback, as the D.C. Republicans strut around boasting how they thought they could intimidate a New York City district attorney into backing off on Trump and put him above the law. These are the same Republicans of Gerald Ford, who once told NYC to “drop dead.” Is this the way NYC plans to send the U.S.A. into the future? Lou Alt