The content of their character
Brooklyn: It sickens me that in this city people are judged by their skin color as to whether or not they can afford certain luxuries. I remember working at a high-end retail store that was frequented by NFL players and being told to follow these men around and “watch,” because they fit a certain obvious mold: young, large and “scary” black men. In reality, these guys could afford to buy the whole store. Needless to say, I refused to do it.
It is things like this that make me scared to set foot in a high-end store, as much as I love beautiful clothes. I was afraid to bring a Burberry trenchcoat that I bought online to the 57th St. store for a free repair. I could picture them wondering, “How did this young black guy afford this coat?” — despite the fact that the coat is a year old, and it shouldn’t even matter at this point. So I took it to a tailor, and paid for the repair.
There is no set age, race or manner to determine who should own a given item. What happened to seeing people as individuals? Matt Frazier
Priorities
Manhattan: Your stories about young black students detained by the NYPD after paying for luxury goods with their debit cards have rightly raised disapproval (“Busted at Barneys for being black,” Oct. 23” and “Busted II,” Oct. 24). But why did Trayon Christian, 19, and Kayla Phillips, 21, both working their way through college, see fit to spend $ 394 and $ 2,504 on a belt and a handbag, respectively? Christian rushed to Barneys to buy the belt worn by his favorite celebrities as soon as he got his paycheck. Phillips, a young mom pregnant with her second child, went there to buy the designer bag with her tax refund. “It’s not fair . . . the two individuals who have had these experiences listen to Jay Z and Beyoncé, who wear designer clothes. These kids also like nice things, and they were treated awfully,” Phillips’ mother said. Yes, they were treated awfully — but they need to reconsider their obsession with celebrity and luxury goods. Minoo Southgate
Question
Breezy Point: What nursing student, regardless of skin color, can afford to spend $ 2,500 on a pocketbook? I wish I had $ 2,500 to put in my $ 10 wallet. John Carberry
Cheddar moon
Brooklyn: Bill de Blasio says he will raise taxes on the rich if he’s elected mayor. I wonder how the rich people who are funding his campaign feel about that. Is he really going to bite the hand that feeds him? Is the moon made of cheese? Vera Badamo
Passing the buck
Astoria: Regarding Bill de Blasio’s brilliant idea to tax households making $ 500,000 and up to fund universal pre-k: How did those families become responsible for other people’s children? Brad Morris
New diversity
Bronx: To Voicer Maria Musolino: Yes, a fair test is required to become a firefighter — not the commissioner. The city finally needs a qualified minority to lead the FDNY by example as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new New York City. Stephanie Ortiz
Koch’s murder record
Springfield Gardens: With all the talk about the 2,000-plus murders a year during the term of David Dinkins, I don’t hear much about Ed Koch’s three terms before him. In seven of those 12 years, the city had over 2,000 murders. I guess some New Yorkers have selective amnesia. Jon Baldwin
Barack and Bernie
Brooklyn: The more I read about the healthy young people needed to fund the health-care system, the more it reminds me of what Bernie Madoff did that got him a huge jail sentence: Taking money from people to pay dividends to his clients. When the money ran out, the house of cards came down. When the young people have no jobs, who pays for the health care? It almost follows that saying about socialism: It only works until you run out of other people’s money. How many years will Obama’s house of cards stand? Winifred Fugowski
Enough
Scarsdale, N.Y.: I have been a Republican for many years. However, if the Republican Party keeps endorsing the Tea Party and nominates anyone like Ted Cruz for President in 2016, I and many others will not vote. They will be soundly beaten. Helen Centorrino
Ban the booze
Highlands, N.J.: Once again an NFL Sunday has been diminished by the atrocious behavior of drunken losers, most of whom have never played a down of football but who nonetheless live vicariously through their teams (“Jet jerk and gal slapped,” Oct. 23). I feel that the best way to contain this is to eliminate alcohol consumption at tailgates and limit beer sales in stadiums. This will also provide the added benefit of reducing the number of drunken drivers on the road when games end. Bryant Phillips
Passing on knowledge
Brooklyn: To Voicer Angela Mena: My parents told me to never hit a woman. My dad was a Marine, as badass as they come, and he taught me to walk away if I can. The fact you wrote about your mom beating you — if someone hit you and you didn’t hit them back — is sad. A man should never hit a woman unless it’s a matter of life or death. I hope you are not teaching your children what your mom taught you. Mike Viehl
Leave Lindsay be
Manhattan: With all the coverage given to cyber-bullying, the Daily News should take a hint and stop media-bullying struggling addicts and alcoholics like Lindsay Lohan. One of the toughest challenges to an alcoholic’s sobriety is that person’s lack of self-esteem. And what could be harder on one’s self esteem than having the city’s biggest paper telling the world what a morally bankrupt, weak and debauched person you are? Alcoholism and addiction are diseases. Would you deride people for having cancer or AIDS? Keshav Das
Grand Theft Art
West New York, N.J.: To Voicer Brian Davis, who calls “Grand Theft Auto V” a “demonic portal for our children”: You completely ignored what you said about the game being rated “mature for ages 17 and up.” Clearly, it is not for children. Also, what right-minded parent would buy a game in which the title is a felony? That is their own fault, not the industry you ignorantly blame. They have the same creative right to make a game of such subject matter as many great directors and authors have to make movies and books about it. Video games are not just made for kids anymore, you know. Daniel Solivan
Banksy’s mission
Binghamton, N.Y.: There’s no question that Banksy is causing quite a hullabaloo during his residency here. Perhaps the larger question is, why does it matter? It matters because it is genuine, it is art, it is free speech and it is available for all to see without charge. It’s speech that the mayor may find objections to, but it is free speech nonetheless. New York, Banksy has said, “calls to graffiti writers like a dirty old lighthouse.” And so, while the treasured walls of a few buildings may become Sotheby’s auction material, Banksy will continue with the simple task of creating new works for the fun of it. Or perhaps simply to wake a few of us back up. Fritz Joseph Orzelek
Hosts and parasites I
Staten Island: I find it funny how only New York City finds Airbnb to be threatening, even as major cities around the globe benefit from it (“There’s room for Airbnb,” editorial, Oct. 22). I use Airbnb as much as I can when I travel because it is cheaper (sometimes) and you meet some wonderful hosts. These greedy hotel owners just want to create a monopoly on the tourism business, and these greedy landlords are just mean people who are filthy rich. Are they going to ask the NSA to track down New Yorkers who host these tourists? Vanessa Katsuragi
Hosts and parasites II
Bayside: I can’t speak to the number of tourism dollars brought to the city by apartment sharing. However, I am a landlord of a rent-stabilized building in Manhattan who has discovered a tenant subletting his apartment through Airbnb while he is away. His stabilized rent is $ 1,500 a month. He is charging $ 199 a night — in violation of the state rent stabilization laws. This lines the tenant’s pocket while he pays a below-market rent. I’m sure he’s not the only one. If I could collect that much rent, I could give the building some much-needed improvements. My pre-1900 building endures more wear and tear due to extra people with large suitcases using the narrow halls and stairwells. Who should be accountable? Douglas Pratt
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