Readers sound off on qualified immunity, reduced fares and Bannon

Stamford, Conn.: Gov. Hochul gets it right in opposing the renewed push to repeal qualified immunity (“Gov sez no, they say yes,” Jan. 26). The doctrine of qualified immunity is critically important because it allows certain government officials, including the police, to do their jobs in good faith without being second-guessed through endless litigation and financial exposure.

It seems that all cops are under fire these days because of the misdeeds of the few. But the vast majority of cops discharge their duties honorably and with good intentions. Yes, qualified immunity can work injustices in certain situations, but the harm that would be caused by abolishing it far outweighs the benefits. Ending qualified immunity would chill good policing. Police need to do their jobs without fear that every move on the street will be scrutinized in a sterile courtroom. Clever tort lawyers can manipulate jurors who might not appreciate the difficulties and split-second decisions that police officers face in doing their jobs.

The streets can be rough. If cops lose their immunity protections, they will perform law enforcement defensively rather than proactively. Quality law enforcement depends on the notion that if a cop acts in good faith in conformity with clearly established law, the public will have their back. And if a cop does depart from lawful police conduct, the criminal courts can still provide justice. The doctrine is sound public policy even if imperfect. Those who oppose it are misguided. Qualified immunity should remain intact. Peter Janoff

Jamaica: To the United States of America: Tyre Nichols, George Floyd, Eric Garner, Rodney King — this is why Colin Kaepernick knelt on one knee! Bringing attention during the national anthem that there is a national crisis of police brutality and unnecessary use of extreme force in this country! Go back and look it up! Carol Grant

Staten Island: To Voicer Susannah Bianchi: Your delusional letter to Voice of the People made me have to respond. You used the trigger word: resist. Maybe if the young person you are talking about had just complied and surrendered, there would have been no need for what you call getting rough with him. Maybe if all the people who have interactions with the police adhered to that policy, nobody would get hurt, either the police or the alleged perpetrators. “Be gentle with him.” Are you out of your mind? Now that the actions of some cops are in the public eye, new training and tactics will be looked into. Fine. Great. Maybe if the standards in hiring hadn’t been lowered so much, some of the bad cops wouldn’t have been cops in the first place. Alfred Lebrio

Denver: My 1992 Kentucky prison chaplain internship in seminary gave me an instinct to never ask an inmate, “What was your crime?” The video of the ruthless beating by police in Memphis affirms that heartfelt decision not to know, and they never told me. Mike Sawyer

Jamaica: If the American colonists had stood by Great Britain, the greatest country in the world in 1776, you’d be saying, “God save King Charles!” now. Vigilant dissent based on reason and logic is a key component of a healthy democracy. Francis Stephens

Bayonne: To Voicer Ed Houlihan: Regarding the migrants fleeing here from south of the border to escape the intolerable conditions in their homelands — crime, violence, corruption, unemployment, poverty, drugs and gangs — I guess when they get to the U.S.A., they will feel right at home. Mike Armstrong

Brooklyn: Readers currently using Reduced-Fare MTA MetroCards should beware of switching to the OMNY tap-and-go system, as they may be erroneously charged the full fare. This will not be evident until riders see their credit card statements to verify the successful transition of their reduced-fare rates. I was overcharged more than $100 for subway rides until I visited the Reduced-Fare office at 3 Stone St. in Manhattan. Richard Rabinowitz

Bayside: New York’s largest baseload gas plant is finally shutting down. The Ravenswood site in Queens will instead serve as a manufacturing and logistics hub for the growing offshore wind industry. Toxic emissions from burning gas turned the mostly low-income neighborhood of predominantly NYCHA buildings into an asthma alley. Gov. Hochul must strengthen her commitment to offshore wind. The Empire Wind, Sunrise Wind and Beacon Wind projects are in the wings. It is imperative that Rory Christian, chair and CEO of the state Public Service Commission, use his power to expedite them. New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) mandates a 70% clean electric grid by 2030. We can only meet this goal with sustained investment in and support for offshore wind. Daniel Salamon

Cincinnati: As private jets of the great, near-great and great-adjacent flew in and out of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland the other week, there was one geopolitical constant that all observed — namely, without American power around the globe, nothing other than fiddling at the margins will last. The president of the U.S. and his Foggy Bottom boys and girls at the State Department are the real goal of much WEF palaver, whether downing oysters with chilled chardonnay at Davos or greasy fare here at home. Cut out the fancy pants next time and save the planet some fumes, jet and highfalutin. Paul Bloustein

Manhattan: Remember the old adage that when you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas? Well, Mayor Adams should be worried that his expensive suits are infested from his association with close friends like accused conman “Bling Bishop” Lamor Whitehead and accused sexual harasser Robert Petrosyants. Let’s not forget that every time he appears on MSNBC, he is with his good old friend Rev. Al Sharpton, who many consider a con man after the Tawana Brawley scandal. Does the mayor have anyone in his inner circle with unimpeachable character? Doesn’t look that way. Patricia Clark

Howard Beach: Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t it strange that Rory McIlroy, the lead voice of the PGA Tour against the players who took the big money to play in the upstart LIV Tour, played in the European tour’s Dubai Desert Classic last weekend? I guess Arab royal money isn’t so bad after all. David Conlin

Keyport, N.J.: To Voicer Kevin Mallardi: My comments were targeted at how this war in Ukraine is being fought ridiculously in the press with these announcements. You choose to focus on a throwaway comment. I could care less (another thing people say that is totally wrong). Joe Napolitano

West New York, N.J.: Voicer Kevin Mallardi wants to know why doing the same thing and expecting different results is crazy. It’s not. It’s stupid. Imagine the prize is behind door A and you keep pressing door B expecting the prize. Ken Ludmer

Old Bridge, N.J.: Re “Bannon aims his sights at the RNC” (Jan. 31): Who in the world really gives a tiny rodent’s butt about anything that comes out of Steve Bannon’s mouth? This sad excuse for a man is a disheveled reprobate who should be shunned and ignored by everyone. Janet Cecin

Boca Raton, Fla.: Florida Republican state Rep. Mike Caruso introduced new legislation that would make putting a swastika on a building a third-degree felony. It would also cover maliciously defacing a religious cemetery and it could result in a five-year prison sentence. Considering the increase in antisemitic hate crimes, this is long overdue. Charles Winfield

Port Saint Lucie, Fla.: Not that I believe the FBI will be very forthcoming concerning the investigation and results of President Biden and the classified documents found in his garage, but it sure would be interesting to find whose fingerprints turned up on those pages! Edward C. Burke